Zhù Ying quickly suppressed the anxiety in her heart. Once she calmed down, a great many questions arose within her, and when she looked at Chen Meng again, her gaze had grown quite composed.

Chen Meng saw it all and thought to himself: What a pity. Father was right — Uncle’s methods look thorough on the surface, but they still fall a little short.

Zhù Ying asked, “First Young Master came to tell me all this — so what is it you want?”

Chen Meng didn’t shy away from voicing a measure of his true thoughts: “I only noticed that my cousin is about to suffer. If you have a plan, act on it; if you have no plan, or if you’ve made up your mind to wash your hands of her, then stop hovering about her from now on. As long as the two of us can face ourselves with a clear conscience — no more regrets, no more blaming others — that’ll do.”

Chen Meng’s sense of right and wrong was not terribly sharp, but this aunt of his was truly scandalous beyond bearing. The three parts of pity he had already felt for his cousin instantly swelled to five, and with two more parts of faith in Zhù Ying’s future, he came to say this much.

His words dispelled some of Zhù Ying’s doubts, yet she still wasn’t certain. She asked, “What does Elder Sister herself think?”

Chen Meng said, “You’re asking her? Don’t you know the predicament she’s in right now? If you were to ask her directly, would she dare say she was defying her mother’s orders? Really, you! How can you be so unable to either take hold of something or let it go? Are you even a man?”

Well — not exactly!

But Zhù Ying was a decisive person. She said, “The marriage is still far off; nothing has been settled yet. There’s no rush in these next two days — let me think it through carefully. Who knows, when the time comes I may still need to trouble First Young Master.”

That one sentence was enough to make Chen Meng grudgingly satisfied. He said, “Fine.”

Zhù Ying said, “I know First Young Master has only been back in the capital for a short while, and that you are kept very busy, with your own affairs to attend to.”

Chen Meng nodded. “Move quickly,” he said, and left in a hurry, leaving Zhù Ying yet another puzzle to work out.

Carrying this matter in her mind, Zhù Ying went back to flipping through case files, thinking about Huajie’s affairs as she did. The moment she thought of the word “gentleman,” it was easy to think of the Cao family case that had just been resolved. When the Cao family was marrying off their daughter, they had certainly investigated the prospective in-laws, and had presumably been very satisfied.

The Chen family lived together as an extended clan — populous, prosperous, the younger generation honest and upright, the entire household marked by a father’s kindness and sons’ filial piety, all very proper in conduct, and even the mother-in-law was an industrious, reliable woman. And yet — look how it had turned out.

The “gentleman” that Madam Feng had her eye on might well measure up by the ruler’s standard in every way — a proper “gentleman” indeed — but that was no guarantee he’d be a husband one could build a life with. If Huajie were to suffer any hardship on that account, Zhù Ying knew she would never forgive herself. At this moment she was exactly like Chen Meng when he had first caught wind of the news — she had already foreseen that the future would not be kind, and she could not rest unless she said something about it.

With her mind elsewhere, her hands slowed. Left Assessor laughed. “Little Zhù is worried about something too? Don’t be — what’s yours will be yours!”

“Hmm?” Zhù Ying blinked.

Left Assessor smiled. “You may be a new arrival, but our post here is different from the Imperial Granary and such places — they won’t dock your silver just because you were only assigned here partway through the year.”

Zhù Ying had lost focus just then and caught only a vague impression of what was said, but she still followed his lead and asked, “Is that so? How does it work, then?”

Left Assessor said, “Any offerings sent up from the localities — in the capital’s various government offices, as long as the supervisors are decent people — are distributed to everyone, allocated by rank and position. As long as you are posted here, you get your share, the same as us veterans. Looking at the senior officials here, none of them are petty people, so you younger ones will certainly have your portion.”

Wang Assessor added, “Unless, of course, you’ve offended a superior who wants to find a pretext to make things difficult for you. Little Zhù, that could never happen to you.”

Zhù Ying thought to herself: A little while back I heard there were such offerings from the localities — so this is what they meant!

She didn’t ask how large her share would be; she simply said, “Perfect — I can add a few things to the household.”

Left Assessor said, “Listen to you — you really are a man of the house. Let me tell you: don’t spend it all. Keep a little for social obligations. You’re already fifteen — time to take a proper wife.”

Wang Assessor said, “Don’t go giving random advice. The way I see it, Little Zhù has a limitless future. Rushing to marry now — borrowing no strength from the wife’s family — would ruin him for life.”

The seasoned old hands all crowded in and offered Zhù Ying a great deal of talk about marriage. Everything they said, between the lines, urged caution.

Left Assessor said, “The other day, Li Cheng from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices married — and he was thirty, and it was his first marriage! All for the sake of a good match, wasn’t it?”

Zhù Ying asked, “Didn’t his family get anxious? Didn’t his parents push him to have an heir? And they just let him be?” In those times, plenty of men died in their prime; not marrying and having children by one’s twenties made thirty a very advanced age for a first wedding — enough to make one suspect he was headed toward dying without descendants.

Wang Assessor laughed. “Young person, you really are innocent! If you don’t take a wife, can’t you still take concubines? Can’t you purchase maidservants? Can’t you have a few female companions? He already has several sons born of concubines! You’re so shrewd when it comes to work — how can you be so naive about life? Look at us — has any one of us tried to arrange a match for you? We can all see you have a future, so why would we make fools of ourselves?”

Zhù Ying thought to herself: you lot certainly know how to enjoy life!

Left Assessor said, “The way I see it, Little Zhù, you won’t need to wait until thirty — as capable as you are, things will be in motion by your mid-twenties!”

Everyone teased her for another round. Zhù Ying bore it with good humor and slowly drew them out in conversation, listening as they told her the ins and outs of marriage among officials — things no one had ever spoken to her about before. She hadn’t been in official circles long; she had only begun to get a feel for how things worked, and what she knew of day-to-day life in the capital had come from Jin Dajie’s example of managing firewood and rice and daily expenses. Beyond that was territory she had never explored.

Her colleagues looked after her quite warmly and, seeing she didn’t know much, explained things to her. Being a good match, they said, took many forms. Some families hedged their bets early; others judged the current moment; everything depended on each person’s ability to read others. Then they moved on to explaining the capital’s several tiers of prominent families — the very top being the Zheng Marquis household, Zheng Xi’s maternal grandmother’s family, and the Chen Chancellor’s household, all plainly named. Wang Yunhe couldn’t even squeeze into that ranking; he fell somewhere between the second and third tier, placing behind the current head of the Ministry of Justice.

Zhù Ying listened for quite a while and didn’t hear Sheng Ying’s name, so she asked, “Can Attendant Sheng, who serves as Deputy Envoy under Lord Zheng, not even be numbered among them?”

Everyone laughed. “That’s a gap indeed. Before his family declined, he might have made the second or third tier. Now — not a chance.”

Zhù Ying said, “They cut such a magnificent figure when they went out — I thought the deputy envoy was only a step below the chief envoy.”

Everyone laughed again, and explained further: “You can’t judge purely by the momentary rank a person holds, but neither is rank entirely irrelevant. You also have to consider reputation, ancestry, clan ties, marriage connections, and so on.”

Zhù Ying learned a great deal more, and also asked about the Feng family’s standing — which was now slightly below the Shen family’s. She said, “There really is learning in everything! I’m young and have seen little of the world. Apart from the colleagues here, I’ve only met two or three senior officials through cases, let alone knowing anything about their marriage arrangements. How could I have imagined all these undercurrents? If you hadn’t told me, I never would have thought of any of it.”

Zhù Ying flattered them liberally for several more sentences; the others were gratified and talked on at greater length. The group chatted idly for a time, eventually turning to the topic of their superiors and expressing worry that those above might clamp down and demand a strict investigation.

Left Assessor said to Zhù Ying, “Now, our Lord Zheng — strict when he wants to be, but genuinely generous when he decides to be. I hear he’s working to secure better benefits for us. Did you know?”

Zhù Ying said, “I’ve been so busy my eyes are spinning lately. Has something happened?”

Left Assessor said, “You really don’t know? You of all people, with your connections to him — you should be making yourself more visible to him! Don’t let your future slip by. You’re an outsider in the capital serving as an official — you have to look out for yourself. The talk is that our reviews have been going well and this year they want to raise the rank of our honorary titles by another grade. I think you’ll certainly be included.”

This connected to what Chen Meng had come to tell her, and Zhù Ying said, “It would still need to be approved by those above, wouldn’t it?”

Wang Assessor stroked his beard with the air of an experienced hand and said, “It will almost certainly be approved.”

Zhù Ying subtly let slip a little of the news Chen Meng had brought, saying, “This year may be different.”

The others, who had been talking with her partly in hopes of extracting some news, immediately pressed her: “How so? Has something gone wrong?”

Zhù Ying said, “There may be some complications. I’ve heard that in past years, people at our level never attracted the Council of State’s attention.”

“This year the Chief Ministers will actually concern themselves with us?” Left Assessor couldn’t help interjecting.

Zhù Ying just smiled — her colleagues all knew what that meant. Thinking back to what appeared to have been First Young Master Chen’s visit to Zhù Ying, they reckoned the information was probably genuine. They also guessed that Zhù Ying herself had perhaps already secured her position, which made them simultaneously envious and worried about themselves. Someone else asked Zhù Ying, “Little Zhù, you hear things early — do you know anything else?”

Zhù Ying said, “I only heard that one thing. But as I see it, the Chief Ministers have ten thousand matters to manage each day — they can’t inquire into each and every one of us individually, can they?”

People began murmuring amongst themselves, thinking of ways to pull strings, aware of their own lowly status and light purses — not enough to put together a gift fit for a Chief Minister — and so they wavered in uncertainty. The several “seasoned veterans who had seen through officialdom,” people who fancied themselves worldly-wise, were at this moment behaving exactly like concubines in an inner courtyard jostling for favor, calculating: “The master glanced toward the west wing today — is he planning to spend the night there?” In truth, the master hadn’t been looking at the person at all; he was looking at a dog standing next to her.

Zhù Ying thought to herself: asking them any more about the Feng and Shen families now would be pointless — they were in no mood for it. She would have to wait until this business of the rank promotion was settled. In any case, it wasn’t urgent — at worst…

Zhù Ying was no longer anxious. Sheng Ying had seemed to wield tremendous power and influence when he was in the prefectural city, but placed in the capital he didn’t rank very high at all, and that put her considerably more at ease. It meant that whatever match they could arrange for Huajie was of “limited” standing — certainly above her own, but not so far above as to leave no room to maneuver.

That afternoon, her colleagues grew restless while Zhù Ying sat quite steadily and went on reading through case files for another half day. She took note: the review work was already half done, and by her estimate, they would be able to get through a rough pass of everything this year. Once they did, new tasks would surely follow. Starting now, she needed to be keeping track of time and watching, before long, for whether Zheng Xi and the others had any new arrangements in mind for the Court of Judicial Review.

Knowing Zheng Xi as she did, the man had probably already come up with some scheme or other.

Zhù Ying’s thoughts spun busily, and spinning, spun right around to the time for going home. She didn’t linger a single moment, gathered her things, and left. She had made an appointment with Coroner Yang today — she was going to his house to learn some of his craft. Back in her hometown she had helped the coroner a few times, but that man was both less skilled than Coroner Yang and had no intention of teaching her, which left what she knew quite limited. This Coroner Yang not only knew how to examine corpses but also had a rough command of medicine and some ability to fake wounds and the like — which suited Zhù Ying very well.

Today she had a question to ask Coroner Yang: was it possible for someone to feign death and come back to life?

Because she often asked strange questions — half of them about illegal things — Coroner Yang simply assumed she’d encountered something like this while handling cases at the Court of Judicial Review, and thought nothing of it. He told her, “That’s very difficult. If someone truly had that ability, wouldn’t the world be turned upside down? It varies from person to person, and from circumstance to circumstance. That said, it does happen that someone faints dead away by coincidence. Only someone with an iron heart and no way out would ever think of trying such a thing.”

Zhù Ying gleaned a few more pieces of knowledge from Coroner Yang before taking her leave. On her way out the door, Coroner Yang’s wife was just coming back with a box of something. Zhù Ying glanced at it, and Nanny Yang said, “Sanlang is heading home already? Remember to give your family a little more spending money these next two days, for buying needlework supplies, melon, and fruit and such.”

Zhù Ying started. “Oh right — the Qixi Festival.”

She thought: does praying to deities do any good? Can the immortals of this world truly grant people their wishes? Ah, let it be, let it be — how many carefree days can a girl have in her life? As long as she enjoys herself, that’s enough. She only hoped they hadn’t already told Huajie about the marriage plans — let Huajie have one more happy holiday.

——

“Sister?”

Huajie came back to herself with a start and said to Feng Dajie, “Ah? Sister-in-law, I understand.”

The two women — sister-in-law and sister-in-law — were in the household’s small garden, watching the fish swimming in the pond. The Feng residence was nothing like it had been in its glory days, and nothing like the spacious Chen or Zheng establishments either, but it did have a little garden with a still smaller pond, where a few carp were kept. The two women stood by the water’s edge; Feng Dajie had sent the servants away, pretending she found the maids and servants bothersome. Because the garden was so small, even without attendants nearby everyone could still see the two of them, so no one paid it much mind. The little maidservants were in the garden looking at flowers and catching grasshoppers; the senior maids and older servants stood about in a relaxed cluster, chatting idly while keeping an eye on the mistresses in case they were called.

Neither of the two women had sent any servants off to do anything.

Feng Dajie, half anxious and half urgent, said, “You must have some idea in mind. If there’s someone you’ve taken a liking to, or if you have some ideal in your head yourself, tell us first — that way we can actually help you.”

Zhù Ying’s wish had, in the end, come to nothing. Huajie’s brother and sister-in-law were good-hearted people; after learning of Madam Feng’s calculations, they had quietly tipped Huajie off first.

Huajie’s relationship with her brother and sister-in-law and Madam Feng was anything but pleasant, but the entire household thought rather well of Huajie. She had a good standing among the family — she was nothing like Madam Feng, who was as cold and hard as a rock — and Feng Dajie did not hold her quarrels with Madam Feng against Huajie. Moreover, Feng Dajie bore Madam Feng a touch of ill will and wanted to put a spoke in her mother-in-law’s plans; adding these two things together, the husband and wife had put their heads together and decided — to help their sister!

Feng Dajie said, “Don’t think I’m lying to you!”

Huajie smiled softly and fanned Feng Dajie with her fan. “Sister-in-law, I believe you.”

“Oh?”

Huajie lowered the fan and let out a quiet sigh. “Sister-in-law, you also believed that Mother, who has always observed propriety and followed the rules, would never arrange a second marriage for me — isn’t that right? She is not that kind of person. Presumably, Uncle thinks the same way she does.”

Hearing her speak in these drifting, faraway tones, Feng Dajie felt a pang of sadness herself. “Oh dear — although your brother entered this family by adoption, and you were born into it, we both only recently came to this household. When your brother was made heir, I never imagined that the food and clothing would improve while life itself would grow harder.”

As she spoke she felt she had let something slip and hastily stopped.

Huajie in turn reassured her, “I understand what you mean, sister-in-law.”

Feng Dajie said quietly, “Speaking honestly — whatever thoughts you have, whatever plan — think quickly! Ah…” She hesitated again.

Huajie said, “Sister-in-law, please say whatever you like.”

Feng Dajie said, “It’s not that your brother and I don’t want what’s best for you. If you truly find someone you’re willing to entrust yourself to, we would be over the moon — your brother’s not very skilled at official affairs, and having someone to lean on would be good. But the person Mother wants to choose has to fit Uncle’s intentions, and these two sets of intentions mixed together — how much of it can be for your sake? And how much is for this household? As we see it, the Zhù family was actually better. I’ll say something you may scold me for: this match — it was a mistake to break it off.”

Huajie lowered her head and said nothing.

Feng Dajie went on, “From what I hear, he’s been performing very well in his official post, and Lord Wang of the Capital Prefecture even praised him before Lord Zheng of the Court of Judicial Review. As I see it, our family was in the wrong first. Even if we were to lower our heads and apologize, there would be no harm in that. While his post isn’t yet very large — once he’s truly risen in the world, who knows how many families will scramble to have him as a son-in-law, and by then it will be too late!”

The knuckles of the hand in which Huajie held her fan went white, and her expression shifted through several changes before she finally said, “Sister-in-law, let me think about it.”

Feng Dajie said, “Then think quickly. A father’s command and a matchmaker’s word — once you have those two things, the marriage is settled. Only parents who cherish their daughter will ask what she thinks, and let her look the prospective groom over. Otherwise, it can be settled without telling you at all.”

Huajie’s breath caught, and she said, “Thank you, sister-in-law.”

Feng Dajie said, “Don’t say that — come, they’re all waiting over there. Stay a little longer and who knows which loose-tongued servant will go telling tales to Mother.”

Pretending that nothing had happened, the two of them scattered a handful of fish food into the pond, walked slowly around it, and moved on. The maids and servants came forward to meet them and escorted the two women back inside.

Huajie accompanied Feng Dajie in handling some household trivialities, then kept Madam Feng company at a meal. After dinner, when Madam Feng retired to recite a scroll of sutras, Huajie went back to her own room. On her way out she remarked, “The Qixi Festival is approaching, and I’m planning to go with sister-in-law. I’ll put together a list and have Mother look it over before we go out to buy anything.” This neatly rescued Feng Dajie from having to keep Madam Feng company.

After the two came out together they talked briefly; Feng Dajie was to draw up the list while Huajie returned to her room, and they agreed to bring it to Madam Feng the next day.

Back in her own room, Nanny Wang and the others came to remove her hairpins, wait on her as she bathed, and help her change into her sleeping garments. Huajie was silent throughout. When everything was done, she finally shuffled in her slippers and called out, “Nanny Wang.”

Nanny Wang had been going through her wardrobe to choose the next day’s clothes and accessories. At the sound of her name she set down what she was holding and asked, “What does Young Mistress need?”

Huajie asked, “How much money does our room still have? And how much in valuables can be put to use?”

The maidservants exchanged glances. Nanny Wang said, “Does Young Mistress have something to spend it on? Some was used recently; right now there’s still seventeen taels nine qian in gold, two hundred and sixty-nine taels in silver, twenty bolts of silk, and thirty strings of copper cash plus several hundred coins. Young Mistress’s clothing and jewelry are all here as well…”

Huajie said, “Let me see.”

The maidservants exchanged looks all the more, while Nanny Wang’s face took on a troubled and tense expression. She still pulled a key from her sash, saying, “It’s here.”

She opened a box and first showed Huajie the gold and silver, then pointed to the copper coins in the box beside it, then opened a cabinet to show the silk. Last came an inventory of Huajie’s clothing, jewelry, and decorative items.

Huajie committed everything to memory, then said to Nanny Wang, “Nanny, please go out and find out how much a certificate of ordination costs.”

Nanny Wang was taken aback. “Why would Young Mistress ask about that?”

Huajie said, “Just go and ask, Nanny.”

In her heart she thought: my affairs — I cannot let them know about this.

Ever since Feng Dajie told her the family intended to arrange a marriage for her, her mind had been active. Though Feng Dajie and her husband had not coordinated with Chen Meng, they had independently reached the same conclusion: Madam Feng could not be trusted. Feng Dajie was urging her to try once more with Zhù Ying — simply because they didn’t know anyone more reliable.

But what Huajie had in mind was: Little Zhù is already struggling so hard. Yes, her official post is going well, but she’s still only a rank eight official — what hardships must she herself be enduring? How could I add more trouble to her burden? Besides, she has already helped me a great deal; even counting it as repaying a debt of kindness, she has paid it back with interest many times over. I must find my own way!

All my life I have drifted with the current, and the people I have met have all been good. And yet — Mother died, Little Zhù was accused and suffered injustice, and my godmother was beaten by people sent by my mother. If this goes on, am I to be a burden on others forever? Little Zhù is younger than me, and she refused to accept her lot and became an official. Why can’t I forge a path of my own?

Her life experience was different from Zhù Ying’s, and naturally her perspective was different too. Becoming an official was beyond her reach, but managing accounts and a household — that she could do. But before, she had been helping Yu Miaomiao manage her “husband’s household,” and lately she’d been helping Madam Feng’s daughter-in-law manage her “mother’s household.” All of it was supporting someone else. She had no intention of marrying another man and then pinning her hopes on the in-laws treating her well and letting her manage things.

Things had reached the point where this family home was becoming difficult to bear.

She thought: I’m not so hardened as to disown my own mother, but this “filial piety” — it is truly too difficult! If I had never seen Little Zhù’s life — strenuous and dangerous, yet so unrestrained — I might have resigned myself. Now, being asked to resign myself — that simply cannot be done.

Becoming an official was out. Trade and commerce was also somewhat difficult. What could a woman confined to the inner apartments think of? Going to a nunnery! Buy a certificate of ordination, shave her head, and take refuge in the Buddhist order. This was the first time in Huajie’s life that she found the word “take refuge” — that character meaning “to flee into” — truly wonderful. Once she entered Buddhist orders, planning the rest of her life would become much more convenient. Whether she eventually returned to secular life or managed a small nunnery herself, she would have a little room to maneuver. She was well aware that many Buddhist nuns and Taoist priestesses lived in hardship or were easily preyed upon by wicked men — but then again, it seemed she was being preyed upon even in this household.

If she didn’t try, how would she know she couldn’t manage it? She had to stretch out her feet and take a few steps for herself before she could say “I did not come into this world in vain,” and before she could do justice to the Heaven that had sent Little Zhù across her path and shown her that people could be different.

Here, Huajie made up her mind. And at the same time, in another room, her brother and sister-in-law were whispering to each other.

Feng Dajie only finished waiting on her mother-in-law and returned to her own room to eat. She talked with her husband as they ate. Her husband possessed every quality of a mediocre younger son — ordinary abilities, ordinary character — but his heart was not unkind toward his own family. Hearing his wife’s account, he said, “If she has a plan — as long as it doesn’t go too far over the line, we won’t stand by and do nothing. If she has no plan, and the husband they choose for her turns out to be too rigid, we’ll at least try to hold things back a little. As long as we’ve done all we can, if she lives poorly afterwards, she can’t blame us. As long as our own consciences are clear, that’s enough.”

Feng Dajie said, “Such a good person — how did she end up with…”

“Stop! Don’t say that! I’m worried — what if she refuses to marry, and does what those chaste heroines in the stories do? Cutting off her own ear, or severing a finger, or disfiguring herself like Madam…”

Feng Dajie said with a cold laugh, “Madam would get to boast about her daughter’s noble character, and I suspect she’d feel rather pleased with herself about it in her heart.”

Husband and wife looked at each other and both heaved a sigh.

——

The next morning, Feng Dajie had something on her mind and rose early to wait on her mother-in-law. As it happened, Huajie also arrived early. The two of them presented Madam Feng with the list of things needed for the Qixi Festival. Madam Feng saw that there were gifts for the Shen family on the list, pointed to several items, and said, “These aren’t suitable for the capital. Change them. Our family has only recently returned to the city, and as a widow I shouldn’t make too much of a show…”

When that was all settled, Huajie said, “Mother, I would like to do some good works at some of the temples and nunneries.”

Madam Feng was very pleased with this. “Excellent — and add some oil-lamp donation money as well. May the Bodhisattvas bless you.”

Huajie said, “We borrow their goodwill every month. If we go a single month without a donation, it starts to invite comments, and people may say we’ve suddenly become miserly. As for donating rice and money — once it’s spent, it’s spent.”

Madam Feng said, “Say what you mean — why are you talking in circles?”

Huajie made a slight bow and said, “I was thinking: rather than that, why not have our family donate two certificates of ordination? As long as those ordained remain in the Buddhist order, they’ll always remember that our family gave them their ordination certificates, and think kindly of us. That is a lifetime of goodwill. What does Mother think?”

Madam Feng laughed and said, “My clever child!” She then told her daughter-in-law to find out how much an ordination certificate cost, and to set aside the money to take care of it.

Feng Dajie thought to herself: this household doesn’t have much income coming in, and it’s going out at quite a pace. Whatever could her sister-in-law be thinking? Could she have given up on any other hope regarding the marriage, and so had placed all her hopes in divine spirits?

She didn’t dare to contradict Madam Feng, and could only accept. She sent someone out to inquire and was told that one certificate of ordination cost one hundred and twenty strings of copper cash.

Huajie heard this and thought: one hundred and twenty strings — I can afford that! When the time comes I also need to take charge of this errand; using this opportunity and this pretext, I can use my own private funds to buy one more certificate. And I’ll supply silk and cloth from my own room to make several monastic robes — and among them, two sets made to my own measurements.

She arranged her escape route in her mind, but said nothing to her brother or sister-in-law, and told none of her maidservants or servants either.

When she returned to her room, Nanny Wang came back with the report: “One certificate of ordination costs one hundred strings of copper cash.”

Huajie knew immediately that someone had pocketed a kickback — and thought: all the better! I can save some money to arrange other things. She knew that Madam Feng kept a strict hand on her servants; once she fled, the women in her room would certainly suffer for it. She was thinking of finding a pretext to dismiss the maidservants first, and to drive Nanny Wang away too — and arranging things so that after they received their punishment, they would at least have some money to live on.

She would also need to make two sets of men’s clothing and boots and a hat to avoid being recognized. She would have to find out where the ladder was kept, and where in the capital she might shelter temporarily.

She did not plan to go far from the capital. For one thing, traveling alone with no destination in mind was dangerous. For another, the road was genuinely difficult to travel. In any case, she would first leave the Feng residence, and then make further plans.

Feng Dajie, with the Qixi Festival approaching and tasks to manage, told Madam Feng that the ordination certificates would take some time to arrange, and proposed doing it after the festival — presenting money directly to the temples and nunneries on Madam Feng’s birthday: “Let them buy it themselves.”

Huajie, having her own intentions, said, “That won’t do. If the money goes to the temple, the abbot and head abbess decide whom to give it to — it becomes their favor to distribute, not ours. Better to accompany Mother to visit each place, and choose someone who has not yet taken her vows and feels a connection with us, so they know to be grateful to us.”

Madam Feng listened to her daughter’s advice. Feng Dajie had no choice but to acquiesce, saying, “That means waiting until after the Qixi Festival as well.”

Madam Feng said, “After Qixi — make sure it’s done promptly.”

Huajie calculated the days until Madam Feng’s birthday and thought: I need to start preparing those men’s clothes right away.

Using the pretext of making clothes for her brothers, she began her preparations. The fabric was only just set aside when the Qixi Festival arrived.

By now everyone in the room knew she had been checking on her assets in order to make donations, and they stopped making pointed glances at Nanny Wang behind her back; Nanny Wang’s mood lifted considerably. She said, “Just right — pray to the Weaving Maiden for skilled hands, to make clothes with.”

Huajie smiled, and together with Feng Dajie she knelt down behind Madam Feng, and they bowed together in worship.

What the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law prayed for was unknown. Huajie pressed her palms together and prayed: Weaving Maiden, Weaving Maiden — you are a celestial being, and too many people beg you for skilled hands. I do not pray for that. Even the most incomparable skill, if it traps you in the inner apartments of this household or another, what use is it? You would only be a skillfully-handed prisoner in the end. I only beg for half a measure of Little Zhù’s courage — enough to let me take this one step. I don’t ask you to solve my troubles for me; I only ask not to be a prisoner any longer.

When she rose from her bow, she suddenly laughed at herself: Little Zhù wouldn’t pray to the Weaving Maiden, would she? Does she bow to Confucius, or to General Sun? She really is such a…

——

Zhù Ying certainly didn’t pray to the Weaving Maiden — though Zhang Xiangu did. In the past, when the family was poor, they couldn’t lay out a proper spread of offerings, and there was no one to celebrate with her. Now things were better; the neighbors on either side had modest means, and the women among them had leisure for such things, so Zhang Xiangu was enjoying herself with them quite happily.

Zhù Ying paid this no mind and went on reading and practicing her calligraphy as usual.

When the eighth month arrived, Zhang Xiangu was busy again, planning that it was time to make Zhù Ying’s autumn clothes: “Oh! No wonder everyone wants to be an official — the grain, the fabric, the fodder for horses… oh my, you don’t have to worry about any of it yourself anymore…”

In the end, the scattered official titles — the honorary ranks — of Zhù Ying and her colleagues at the Court of Judicial Review had indeed been raised. And because the rank had gone up, the stipend they could draw as an honorary title increased by a little, and there were also the offerings sent up from localities to various capital offices of which Zhù Ying had received a share. Zhang Xiangu was all the more delighted. When she was happy, she had less to nag about, and the whole family felt rather more at ease.

One rest day, Zhù Ying put on her casual clothes and took a turn around the streets. She had tea together with Zhang Xiangu’s “big brother” Constable Zhang, and on her way back picked up a packet of braised meats and wine for Zhù Da and a bag of pastries for Zhang Xiangu.

Zhang Xiangu took the pastries and scolded her affectionately: “You’ve got money burning a hole in your pocket, throwing it away on things like this! I can’t eat any more — if I put on any more weight, I’ll need more fabric for clothes, and fabric costs money, you know!”

Zhù Ying said, “You were craving them — your eyes practically leapt onto them — and yet you can’t bear to eat them. Just eat them. You were too thin to begin with; it’d be good to put on a bit of weight.”

While the mother and daughter were in this tender mood, the front door was suddenly knocked upon urgently.

Zhang Xiangu opened her mouth at once: “Who is it?!”

Zhù Ying heard the urgency in the knock. “I’ll go open the door,” she said to Zhang Xiangu.

She pulled the door open — it was none other than Chen Meng himself. He had not come looking for Zhù Ying in over a month. Now he was here, and she asked, “What’s happened?”

Chen Meng squeezed in through the door, pushed it shut behind him, and began pacing back and forth in the Zhù family’s small courtyard. Zhù Ying asked, “First Young Master — what is the meaning of this?”

“Isn’t Guanqun here with you?”

“What?”

“Stop pretending! You always have your own ideas. Tell me — was this your doing?”