Zhù Ying went to fetch a lantern. Wang Yunhe’s attendant had already lit one — a horn lantern — and pulled the door open, standing aside to light the way for the two of them.

This attendant was tall and powerfully built, looking like someone trained in martial arts.

Zhù Ying followed behind Wang Yunhe without a word. The night was dark, and summer insects had already begun calling from the grass. After one full day and night of travel, Zhù Ying’s mind had settled into an unusual quiet. People they passed all made way, and though some were curious, they were all well-behaved — no whispering or exchanging glances.

Before long they came to a building. At its door stood two young yamen runners, both with sabers at their belts, keeping watch. The door was open. Under the eaves hung two ghostly white lanterns. Lamps were also lit inside, and there was the smell characteristic of funeral rites — a mixture of burning incense candles and paper offerings. Zhù Ying recognized the smell well.

The guards saw Wang Yunhe arrive and both young men brightened as if seeing their savior: “My lord!”

Wang Yunhe waved his hand. “I’ve come to check. No one else has come by?”

Both said, “No. The brawlers from the Cao family and the Chen family are all locked up — our brothers are guarding them. They can’t get through!”

Wang Yunhe said to Zhù Ying, “This is the place. Come in.”

The powerfully built attendant went in first. Zhù Ying followed Wang Yunhe inside.

Ganze’s cousin had been laid in a thin coffin — not the see-through kind of shabby coffin, but not fine-quality wood either. The coffin had not been placed in the center of the room but off to one side, because the wall in the center held a worn portrait painting. Before the portrait stood a table, on which sat an incense burner and a few offering dishes.

Ganze’s cousin’s situation was much like the portrait — worn. Before the coffin was a basin filled with ash and some incompletely burned paper money. A bowl of rice had been set as an offering, and incense was burning.

The attendant placed the lantern in position and shoved open the coffin lid with force. A puff of white vapor and cold air rushed out from inside the coffin. In this poorly lit room, it created a faint sense of the underworld. Wang Yunhe watched Zhù Ying carefully and found that this young person was not frightened in the least.

Zhù Ying’s eyes went wide, and she asked him honestly, “May I go closer to see more clearly?”

Wang Yunhe said, “Light incense first!”

Zhù Ying lit the incense. She then picked up the lantern. “May I borrow this for some light?”

The attendant gave a nod.

Zhù Ying raised the lantern and went forward, standing to one side and looking down into the coffin. She saw that inside, in addition to the body of Ganze’s cousin, there were also blocks of ice wrapped in rush matting. Good, she thought, the body can be preserved a little longer this way.

She looked at the young woman lying inside. A person lying down looks slightly different from the same person sitting or standing, and death also brings subtle changes from life. Even so, Ganze’s cousin was a well-featured young woman — not what one would call beautiful, but nothing about her face was disagreeable.

The person was dead, making her complexion unreliable as evidence. Even so, she had clearly been slender in life. Zhù Ying leaned in slightly closer. The attendant stretched out a hand.

Zhù Ying said, “I’m not going in — don’t worry.”

The attendant was rendered even more speechless by this remark.

Zhù Ying turned and asked Wang Yunhe, “May I look more carefully?”

Wang Yunhe said, “The dead are to be respected. Young people should know to revere life and death.”

Zhù Ying blinked at him, then quickly assented: “Oh.”

Wang Yunhe let out a quiet sigh. To be young.

Zhù Ying took great care to move another fraction of an inch closer, sniffed, and thought: Already beginning to smell.

Since she was “male,” Wang Yunhe had not permitted her to touch the female corpse. She could only look like this. Ganze’s cousin’s body wore a half-new set of clothing. Her hair was done in a simple bun — the kind a tidy village bride would wrap with a square of cloth. If she had been in a prosperous city family, this bun would have been arranged more elaborately, with hair wrappings in more vivid colors. Many women used red cloth; the more careful ones would use a color to complement the garments. The color of the cousin’s head cloth did not match her clothing at all.

In her hair there were only two plain wooden hairpins. There were faint traces of pierced ears but no earrings. No other ornaments on her body whatsoever — truly “thorns for pins and coarse cloth for skirts,” showing a life of no great affluence. The skirt was not long, leaving her feet visible. She wore cloth shoes and cloth stockings, also somewhat old. On the blue shoes, magpies perched on branches were embroidered — needlework more skilled even than A’Jie’s. Likely her own work.

Her sleeves were not long either, reaching only to the wrist. Zhù Ying extended the lantern partway into the coffin and leaned forward to look down at the body.

Those hands…

She let out a quiet sigh, then examined the cousin’s face more carefully. Bruising that had not yet faded on her cheeks, and purpling on her hands — she had been beaten. What a pity she could not remove the clothing to examine which parts of the body had been struck, nor examine more carefully the dark ligature marks on the neck.

On the surface, that was all there was to see. Zhù Ying thought to herself: If only I’d known, I’d have slipped in quietly and looked her over properly.

She pursed her lips and looked imploringly at Wang Yunhe. Wang Yunhe said, “You’ve seen enough — let’s go.”

Zhù Ying obediently followed him to his room. The attendant brought water for both of them to wash their hands. A page also lit incense to fumigate their clothing.

Wang Yunhe said, “You’ve seen her now — can you put your mind at ease?”

Zhù Ying asked, “When will you conduct the post-mortem examination?”

“Hmm?”

Zhù Ying said, “Even packed in ice, in this weather, the body won’t keep much longer.”

Wang Yunhe said, “I know.”

“When will you examine her, and when will you hold the hearing? I’d like to ask for leave to listen in — would that be all right?”

Wang Yunhe said, amused, “What? Isn’t the Court of Judicial Review enough to contain you?”

Zhù Ying shook her head, without artifice: “It’s not that I’m eyeing what’s in someone else’s bowl while eating from my own. These days the Court of Judicial Review has been reviewing old cases, and being newly arrived, I can’t handle any major cases. But even the minor cases, all of them old and long stale, still have some that touch on life and death, and some that involve physical evidence.

“With any case, unless it’s a major case nearby in the capital that the Emperor has commanded the Court of Judicial Review to handle directly, the case will first have gone through the local levels — and over half of what reaches the Court of Judicial Review is already far from fresh. Stale evidence is sometimes unreliable — you can only go by what’s written or drawn or recorded on the examination forms. I don’t think that’s enough.

“If you want to handle cases well, you need to first see fresh evidence. People passing along a message — one sentence under ten words, passed through three or five people, and it’s already changed out of all recognition. Ten words of speech can go astray like that; how much more so a case with who knows how many threads? If I see things when they’re fresh, later when I’m looking at old dried-out cases, I’ll have a foundation to work from.”

She said all of this at length, but Wang Yunhe was not impatient — on the contrary, he thought she was using her head. He said, “There is some sense in that. If nothing untoward happens, the post-mortem should be tomorrow. That you cannot attend. As for listening — that’s not difficult, only not in an official uniform.”

“I understand! The judicial assessors of the Court of Judicial Review are responsible for going out on authorized investigations — without an order, I cannot go to another yamen and cause misunderstandings.”

One way or another — through strange turns of fate or ill luck — Zhù Ying had not done a single day of her actual job duties since taking office. The entire Court of Judicial Review had been swept up in reviewing cases from ten years ago. If not for that, Zhù Ying should have first studied the case files decided by her predecessors and then started handling cases. Judicial Assessor was a low-ranking post, yet it was one that could receive orders and go out to summon and question persons. Her two colleagues who had not yet returned were doing exactly that regular work. Without an order, Zhù Ying showing up at the Jingzhao Prefecture yamen in full official dress would cause misunderstandings.

Wang Yunhe said, “You’ve already taken leave?”

“No, but Lord Zheng knows. I slipped out during the Duanwu holiday. If I hurry back now, I can make it through the city gates at dawn and report to the Court of Judicial Review on time. After reporting, I’ll find another way to come back.”

Wang Yunhe said, “Don’t let it interfere with your proper duties. Young people — keep your eyes on the long view. Without this case, there will be another case. You will always have opportunities to learn. If you neglect the work you currently have in hand, that is losing more than you gain.”

“Yes.”

Wang Yunhe said, “The night is dark and the road is long — let me send someone to see you off.”

Zhù Ying smiled. “I have companions who came with me. I can still catch a bit of sleep — they’ll drive.”

Wang Yunhe asked, “What did you make of the body? What did you see?”

Zhù Ying said, “A young woman who knew how to make a home. When two families have been fighting this bitterly, there’s nothing good either will say about the other. But I know that if the husband’s family calls her idle and slovenly, they’re lying.”

“Oh? You found evidence that she had been mistreated by her in-laws — so how do you know she was a capable homemaker?” Wang Yunhe said with measured gravity, “You’ve reviewed no small number of cases. The more cases you see, the more suspicious you become about people, and the less you are able to believe anyone is innocent before the evidence is clear. Look at some women who are beaten cruelly by their husbands — then look at what they themselves have done, and you can’t even sympathize.”

Zhù Ying said, “I…know this. I grew up in the countryside — I’ve seen all kinds of people. A poor person who’s been wronged is not necessarily a good person for all of that. I have evidence.”

“Oh?”

“I can’t speak to other things easily, but — her hands.” Zhù Ying raised both her hands and pressed her two thumbs together, moving them back and forth.

Wang Yunhe said, “What was the matter with her hands?”

Zhù Ying said, “They were deformed. Those are the hands of a woman who weaves. Pushing the loom shuttle, with prolonged force over time, causes deformation — the thumbs grow thick and short, and the fingernails also change.”

Wang Yunhe said, astonished, “Who taught you this? In the Court of Judicial Review, someone who knows these things… no, no, wait — the Court of Judicial Review does have two skilled coroners. The ones who recognize this sort of thing, though, I don’t think I know of any.”

Zhù Ying said, “No one taught me. I figured it out myself. I’ve seen the hands of weavers, and I’ve seen women who’ve hanged themselves. Out in the countryside — what village doesn’t have a woman who’s hanged herself, thrown herself in a well, jumped in a river, or drunk brine? But some of them die differently from others. Some, after hanging, have voided their bowels and bladder. Others have several distinct marks on the neck. And there are those who were beaten to death. They’re all different.”

Wang Yunhe was both astonished and quite gratified. “The night is late and the road is long — stay here tonight, and tomorrow come back to the capital with me. It’s dark — the road is not safe!”

“But then I won’t make it back on time…”

Wang Yunhe said, “Safety is paramount.”

“There’s nothing unsafe about it — we traveled by night coming here too. I have two companions, and we take turns driving.” Zhù Ying patiently explained.

Wang Yunhe said, “You, child — why won’t you listen? Traveling at night — how can that do?”

Zhù Ying thought nothing of herself being particularly precious. She said, “Don’t worry — I value my life. I have good days ahead of me to live.” Then she added, “I’ll make sure to find a way to come listen to your hearing tomorrow. Just don’t have me thrown out.”

Wang Yunhe said, “Come here.” He called for someone.

Zhù Ying twisted to one side, ducked under the arm of the powerfully built attendant, and was gone in a few turns — vanished into the darkness!

Wang Yunhe called out, “Fine! I won’t send anyone after you — just don’t overturn the cart in your hurry to get back!”

“Yes!”

Wang Yunhe’s brow furrowed tightly. What kind of background does this child actually have? I must look into this properly.

Zhù Ying ran out from Wang Yunhe’s quarters and found Lu Chao. “Let’s go — home!”

Lu Chao and Li the First Son had cobbled together a late supper. He yawned and asked, “Did you see it?”

Zhù Ying nodded. “Yes! Quickly! Let’s go back and tell Elder Brother Ganze — tomorrow Prefect Wang is going to hear the case.”

Lu Chao said immediately, “Good!” Then asked Li the First Son which way to go.

Li the First Son said, “Drop me off on the road and I’ll find my own way — I know the road, I’ll get back to Old Father Ganze myself.”

The three discussed it. Li the First Son drove first. Once they were out of Xinfeng County, Lu Chao took over, and they set Li the First Son down at the road near the estate entrance.

Zhù Ying said, “Wait.” She reached into the peddler’s basket and produced a small torch, lit it, and handed it to him. “Thank you for these two days. Take this to light your way. Go back and tell Old Father Ganze that tomorrow Prefect Wang will begin handling the case — if he can manage it in time, send Second Aunt to the capital. Also tell Old Father Ganze that the ringleaders from the brawl on both sides have been brought to the capital in shackles.”

Li the First Son repeated back: “Good. Hearing tomorrow. Second Aunt goes to the capital. Brawl ringleaders are locked up.”

“Correct.”

Lu Chao said, “Why do you still want Second Aunt there? She’s a woman with no standing — listening to the hearing will only cause her more grief. We’ll help Elder Brother Ganze settle this business and then tell Second Aunt once there’s a good outcome.”

Zhù Ying said, “No. You cannot prevent a mother from doing something. Second Aunt’s state of mind — if you don’t give her something to do, she’ll go mad or lose her senses altogether. That won’t do.”

Lu Chao sighed. “All right. Elder Brother Li, we’re in your hands.”

Li the First Son said, “We’re all our own people — what is there to be formal about? You two, I’m heading off.” The three parted.

Lu Chao said, “Sanlang, sleep some more — I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

Zhù Ying said, “Are you all right?”

Lu Chao said, “I’ll just push through this one night — tomorrow I can sleep. You’re still young. If you don’t sleep, you won’t grow.”

Zhù Ying said, “All right. Once this is done, I’ll treat you to ice dessert!”

Lu Chao said, “Go to sleep. What kind of salary do you make? Ice dessert!”

Zhù Ying curled up and went to sleep.

Before dawn, on the main road, they encountered many people hurrying to the capital to sell goods. The capital was prosperous, and the volume of fruits, vegetables, and other goods consumed each day was astonishing — not to mention those driving live pigs and sheep to sell. All these people had to rise extremely early to arrive at the gate opening and get the best price for fresh goods.

Lu Chao was not in a hurry, because these people would not be competing with him for the road in the end. Live pigs and sheep, large vegetable carts — all needed a place to be unloaded, and over time these sellers had well-worn routes leading directly to the nearest distribution points from the city walls. Their routes differed from his.

There were also some who were in a hurry or couldn’t wait, who had set out early. And then there were those coming to the capital to earn a living. People who couldn’t afford housing inside the capital clustered in settlements just outside the walls and hurried in every morning. Some were very poor — too poor even for the cheapest lodgings inside. Others could afford the cheapest lodgings but found it beneath their dignity to live there and rushed in to make their living.

“My goodness — so many people!” Zhù Ying said through a yawn.

Lu Chao was startled. “We’re not there yet — you’re awake?”

Zhù Ying said, “How could anyone sleep through this noise? Is this what it’s like every morning? I’ve heard about this but never seen it.”

Lu Chao said, “Better not be seeing this sort of thing anymore. This is exactly the time when you should be sleeping soundly. I, for one — even if I’m an early riser, this hour I’d be rising at the household estate, not here shivering in the cold.”

It was summer now, and the temperature before sunrise was pleasantly cool — but at any other season, in spring or autumn, let alone winter, it would have been bitterly cold at the city gates.

Zhù Ying said, “I can’t sleep anymore. If I fall back asleep and arrive at the Court of Judicial Review still bleary-eyed, that won’t look good.” She jumped down from the cart, stomped her feet, and straightened her clothes. Lu Chao said, “Get back in. The drums have sounded, the gates are opening, daylight is here.”

Lu Chao drove the cart and set Zhù Ying down directly outside the Zhù family’s door. He said, “You still have time — unload your things, change your clothes quickly, and I’ll take you to the Court of Judicial Review.”

Zhang Xiangu had been fretting for two days. When she heard the knock at the door she wrapped herself up and came out immediately: “Who is it?”

Zhù Ying said, “Me! Open the door!” If Lu Chao hadn’t been there, she’d have jumped over the wall into the courtyard.

Lu Chao said, “Hurry — I’ll carry the poles. Auntie, find him some clothes to change into — all wrinkled like this, what does that look like?”

Zhù Ying was not particularly fussed about such things — not as careful as a servant from a great household. Zhang Xiangu said, “Laosan, go change. Lu Er’lang — would you like to eat? There’s a shop selling oil cakes nearby, very good. They’ll be ready soon! That old man! Quick, go buy the oil cakes!”

Lu Chao said, “Auntie, no need — we still have things to do. I need to take her to the Court of Judicial Review.” He carried the peddler’s pole down from the cart, and also brought down the now-empty basket and bamboo tube.

Zhang Xiangu took them. Zhù Ying came back out from inside. She had washed her face again and combed her hair. Aside from her eyes being slightly sunken, she looked reasonably alert. Zhang Xiangu said, “Have you eaten? Wait while I get you some money — pick up two oil cakes on the way.”

Zhù Ying held up the small food basket in her hand, then bent down and fished two strings of cash out of the peddler’s basket. “I have food, I have money.”

Zhang Xiangu said, “Where did that come from?” She hadn’t taken any money when she left!

Zhù Ying said, “A proper business transaction. There’s another string in there — take it and buy some more meat to eat.”

Lu Chao drove Zhù Ying to the gate of the Imperial City. He said, “Go on in.”

Zhù Ying set down a string of cash on his cart. “Right. You’re hungry too — go have breakfast.” Before Lu Chao could protest, she had already gone through the gates, shown her waist badge, and headed to the Court of Judicial Review to report for duty.

The others at the Court knew nothing of what she had done all day. The Left Judicial Assessor saw her arrive and asked, “Were the dumplings they gave you to your taste?”

Zhù Ying smiled. “My father said they were such delicate little things he couldn’t bear to eat them — we ate the ones my mother wrapped herself.”

Assessor Wang also crowded over, and the assessors fell into a conversation about the varieties of dumplings and the differences in regional customs. Officials had come to the capital from every corner of the realm — some areas more represented than others — but enough diversity existed to fill out quite a variety of different customs. After the group had chatted for a while, Zhù Ying reached into the small bamboo basket she always carried and pulled out oil cakes to eat. She had bought plenty this time, offering them to the group. Assessors Wang and the others — all three of them together managed one cake to taste, while Zhù Ying had already demolished three, and was now cracking open a large goose egg boiled in a pot of rice dumplings.

Assessor Wang said with great envy, “The privilege of being young — an appetite like that. At my age, the eyes want but the stomach is full!”

The Yang the Sixth from the neighboring Taichang Temple came over again: “Have you heard? Something big has happened over at the Jingzhao Prefecture!”

The Left Judicial Assessor said, “Surely not? Prefect Wang is a very capable man — the streets have been so much better than last year!”

Yang the Sixth said, “It’s real! Just before the holiday, out in Xinfeng County — a mass brawl! Two families, they were in-laws — the young bride died, the wife’s family wouldn’t forgive them, and the husband’s family held firm. The two sides fought it out! Did you notice yesterday that there seemed to be fewer yamen runners on the street? The night before last, Prefect Wang had people dispatched overnight to Xinfeng County! Who knows whether they’ve made it back yet. Tsk! Say — this case isn’t a small one, is it?”

The Left Judicial Assessor said, “Depends on the casualties and how it’s resolved. Prefect Wang may emerge unscathed, but Xinfeng County might not get off so easily.”

Yang the Sixth said, “The assembly is nearly breaking up over there — I’ll go ask around some more.” And off he went.

After he left, the assessors had another round of discussion. Being Court of Judicial Review officials after all, after discussing the aftermath they did say a few words about the case itself. Assessor Wang said, “Most likely the husband’s family is in the wrong.” The Left Judicial Assessor said, “One human life — with or without justification, there’s no justification anymore.” The assessors were all worldly people, and just like Zhù Ying and Wang Yunhe, they did not rush to conclude who was good and who was bad.

At this point Zhù Ying said, “The young woman was a decent person — not so bad, at least.”

The Left Judicial Assessor asked curiously, “How do you know that?”

Zhù Ying said, “She had a maternal aunt who married a steward on Lord Zheng’s estate.”

A stir rippled through the assessors. They asked how Zhù Ying knew this, and whether Zheng Xi was aware.

Zhù Ying said, “Let’s just wait for Prefect Wang to deliver his verdict. By the way — I wanted to ask whether I might be allowed to go watch Prefect Wang’s hearing. Do you think it could be arranged?”

The Left Judicial Assessor thought for a moment. “With you asking, it might work. But you’d need to give them a reason.”

Zhù Ying smiled. “Good!”

Assessor Wang said, “Don’t go straight to Lord Zheng! First talk to Magistrate Hu.” Magistrate Hu was the Court’s Senior Judge, ranking below the Senior Judge, the two junior ministers, and the other Senior Judge — the fourth-ranking person in the Court. When the three — Zheng, Pei, and Leng — were all occupied elsewhere, it was Magistrate Hu who kept the Court’s daily operations running. He was of the fifth rank lower, however, which put him several grades above these eighth-rank assessors — not normally the sort of person assessors could approach.

When Zhù Ying went to find him, he was in the midst of a headache. Magistrate Hu had also heard about the Xinfeng County situation, and it had him worried. The brawl — common enough in the countryside, not usually a major affair — had been on a scale unprecedented within the Jingzhao jurisdiction. That made it a serious matter. And with a murder case tangled up in the middle of it, the Jingzhao Prefecture had dispatched people overnight to suppress it. In the end, the case would certainly need to be reviewed by the Court of Judicial Review.

What on earth was he supposed to write in the review commentary?!

Magistrate Hu pulled out three more beard hairs.

Prefect Wang Yunhe — his case rulings were hard to fault. But the Court of Judicial Review could hardly just echo the Jingzhao Prefecture’s verdict and wave along a congratulatory banner! He couldn’t simply write: Prefect Wang is truly a just magistrate! The judgment is excellent! I agree completely!

If he dared write that, Zheng Xi would send him to guard the prison gate.

Of course, he also couldn’t deliberately find fault — not when that would mean going up against Wang Yunhe, whom he certainly couldn’t outargue. At the same time, while agreeing, he needed to have some “views of his own.”

Zhù Ying approached and, seeing his slightly agitated manner, stopped in her tracks. Magistrate Hu looked up and asked, “What is it? If you have something to say, say it — don’t stand there shuffling your feet.”

Zhù Ying said, “Well — I’d like to request some leave.”

Magistrate Hu smiled inwardly: Young person — finally showing some sense. He asked, “What leave do you need?”

Zhù Ying explained — she had heard about a case and wanted to go to the Jingzhao Prefecture to observe: “This subordinate has never had the opportunity to witness a major case like this in person.”

This was exactly what Magistrate Hu needed. He said, “Approved. Go and observe closely — report back anything you find immediately!”

“Yes.” Zhù Ying heard the word “report back” and understood immediately what Magistrate Hu was after. She was no longer afraid of him making things difficult for her on this matter.

Magistrate Hu also said, “Don’t be in such a rush to go. Your review work on the old case files was being reported to Junior Minister Pei. You need to speak with Junior Minister Pei, don’t you? Tell him you’re going to observe the hearing, and it won’t interfere with your work on hand. And you’re not to wear official dress — change your clothes and go quietly.”

“Yes.”

Zhù Ying went to request leave from Pei Qing and Zheng Xi as well. Zheng Xi saw her come back and thought: Good — she knows what matters.

Since she had started reviewing old cases, she had been “steady and capable.” These days Pei Qing’s mood lifted whenever he saw her. He asked, “What is it?”

Zhù Ying explained again — she wanted to learn from experience, and this was “a fresh case”: “When I come back and look at similar old cases, I’ll have a clearer picture.”

Pei Qing laughed and scolded her at once: “Playing tricks again! As if I’d stop you! Did you talk to Magistrate Hu?”

“I’ve already consulted him. Magistrate Hu approved the leave and told me to change out of my official dress before going.”

“Hmm, that’s not a bad arrangement.”

Leng Yun felt a flicker of temptation: “Qilang, I’d also like to…”

“You are not permitted!” Zheng Xi refused categorically. “You come with me — we go spar with Gong Jie.”

Zhù Ying bowed her head to hide a smile and said, “This subordinate takes her leave.”

She flew out the door and bounded over the threshold. The three people behind her all laughed: “What a child.” “Like a little monkey.”

Zhù Ying left the Imperial City and was stopped outside by Lu Chao. Zhù Ying said, “Why are you still here? Didn’t Lord Zheng arrange for someone to relieve you?”

Lu Chao yawned. “He did — that one over there.” A somewhat familiar-looking servant nodded to Zhù Ying. Lu Chao said to Zhù Ying as they walked, “Ganze went to pick them up. Just now I saw Prefect Wang also come out. I’ll tell you this and then go sleep — I’m dead on my feet.”

Zhù Ying said, “Go.”

“Come on, get in — I’ll give you a ride, one last stretch. Where are you headed?”

“Home first, change clothes, then to the Jingzhao yamen.”

“Not tired?”

“Isn’t Prefect Wang going to hear the case today too?”

Lu Chao, having committed to being a good person through to the end, drove Zhù Ying home. He then went off to sleep. Zhù Ying arrived home and changed again. Zhang Xiangu said, “You change clothes eight times a day — what is it now? Can’t you rest?”

Zhù Ying said, “I need to go to the Jingzhao yamen and take a look.”

“Ganze’s little sister’s business?”

“Yes.”

Zhù Da said in his deep, low rumble, “Human life is at stake. Help as much as you can.”

“Right.”

Zhang Xiangu wanted to come along, and Zhù Da had been so bored sitting at home he wanted to go too. Both of them followed Zhù Ying out.

Outside the Jingzhao Prefecture, they encountered Ganze.

Ganze’s eyes were slightly red. “Sanlang — thank you!” His knees nearly bent. Then he remembered they were in front of the Jingzhao Prefecture gate, and that it would look bad if someone saw, so he straightened up again.

Zhù Ying looked around — Ganze’s mother and Second Aunt had both come. She asked, “How is it?”

Ganze said, “After Lu Er told me what you said, I went to pick them up, and we just arrived. The yamen says Prefect Wang has just come from court and is hearing the case.”

Zhù Ying estimated that inside, the coroner and the midwife were probably busy at the moment, and Wang Yunhe should be first questioning both sides and hearing the situation. She said, “Have they gone in to give their testimony yet?”

“Not yet.”

Zhù Ying thought for a moment. “Tell Second Aunt — just tell the truth, nothing else needed. Prefect Wang is different from other officials. She doesn’t need to throw herself about and make a scene before him.”

Ganze said, “Good. Any other instructions?”

Zhù Ying said, “Hard to say — I can only watch from the side.”

Ganze, hearing she would also be observing, felt somewhat reassured. He said, “I’ll go in with them. You—” At this point he finally noticed Zhù Da and Zhang Xiangu, and exchanged greetings. Zhang Xiangu waved him off: “You go, you go.”

Zhù Ying’s whole family followed along as well. By this time some onlookers had already gathered. Not every case was open to the public, but this case, though substantial, involved no officials, so Wang Yunhe had not issued a clear prohibition on observers. However, only a small number of people could be inside the Jingzhao Prefecture to listen, as those involved in the case already occupied considerable space. Certain neighborhood elders from the capital had obtained permission to attend — a dozen or so of them, all watching from outside the hall.

Zhù Ying’s family followed Ganze into the Jingzhao yamen. The runners saw they did not look like troublemakers and let them through but said, “You can only observe from outside the hall — no moving around inside the compound.”

Zhù Ying said, “Understood.”

They went in just as Wang Yunhe had already begun the hearing.

He had already asked Ganze’s maternal uncle: “Why did you resort to a private brawl rather than filing a complaint with the authorities?” This was not proper.

Cao’s maternal uncle answered: “I suddenly heard my daughter was gone. My heart was frantic — I wanted to see the child one last time. She was dead, and they were still insulting us. They threw the first blow.”

The Chen family would not stand for this. “Weren’t you the one cursing people first? You drew first blood?”

“My daughter is dead — can’t a father-in-law even hit his son-in-law?”

Both sides began quarreling loudly in the hall.

Wang Yunhe commanded them to be quiet and then asked how Ganze’s cousin had come to “hang herself.” The maternal uncle said, “They must have done her in — how could a perfectly well person go hang herself?”

The Chen family then said, “If she would hang herself, she was not a perfectly well person to begin with — she had an evil spirit in her! What kind of new bride kills herself without a word to anyone?”

Both sides were about to come to blows.

Second Aunt had been brought in too, and was going head to head with the Chen family’s matriarch. Second Aunt said, “My child was good in every way — it was their family who sought her out. They came asking for her.”

She said this, and then went straight for the Chen matriarch: “Your matchmaker promised me — my child was docile and capable, good at housework and at managing a household. And now look!”

The Chen matriarch said, “Now I know the truth — it was all lies! A lazy and undisciplined girl! What daughter-in-law in the world doesn’t respond when her mother-in-law calls? Other people’s daughters-in-law — call once, and they come scurrying over to listen to orders. But this one? A clam that wouldn’t open! Three blows with a stick couldn’t get a sound out of her — you’d say anything to her, and she wouldn’t even respond!”

Wang Yunhe said, “By your account, then, your daughter-in-law was not a virtuous and obedient woman?”

“In the face of this magistrate, this woman dares not lie — she was not a woman fit to manage a household!”

Wang Yunhe was already angry: “Nonsense! She was plainly a frugal and industrious woman! The body is in this office now — observing the body, she was clearly lean in life, and both thumbs deformed from long-term weaving. How could she be lazy and good-for-nothing?”

The Chen matriarch knelt and stretched both palms overhead, weeping. “Who doesn’t rise before dawn and sleep after midnight? I took a daughter-in-law, not a revered ancestor — I wasn’t looking for a mistress to order me about! If she doesn’t work, what does the whole family eat? What do we wear?”

Wang Yunhe was stunned. This Chen matriarch’s hands were also deformed — just like the dead young woman’s. Both thumbs had grown thick and short, the other finger joints also enlarged, both hands yellowed, dark, and rough. These were also hands that had done a great deal of work.