The Lantern Festival was always lively, and the Zhù family of three had long been calculating how to properly enjoy it. The capital’s Lantern Festival was beyond anything their small hometown county had to offer; the three days of the festival had no curfew, and Zhù Ying had made up her mind to enjoy all three days.

Zhang Xiangu had spent half her life on the move and rarely had such leisure, with a little money to spare. She had already arranged with Elder Sister Jin to watch the lanterns together.

As for Zhù Da, he also had his own plans — he wanted to visit the Daoist temple to see Old Xu, and while there, donate some oil money. This spirit-medium, who in his youth had rattled off all manner of deceptive nonsense without hesitation, had grown pious in his old age. His first and deepest worry was the prosperity of the Zhù family name — his daughter’s official career must keep rising, and the Zhù family line must absolutely be continued.

So all three of them had plans.

Zhang Xiangu had long stopped worrying about her daughter; who would dare abduct a sixth-rank court official? She said cheerfully, “Then fine — everyone come home early, mind you — it’s three whole days! And Sanlang, tomorrow you still have to report for duty, don’t you?!”

Zhù Ying said, “I remember.”

“If you come home late and have to rise early, then fall asleep in front of your superior — you’ve only just been promoted, that would be very bad!”

Zhù Ying smiled. “I know.”

She personally escorted Zhang Xiangu to Elder Sister Jin’s home. Zhang Xiangu was not worried about being abducted herself; it was her mother’s safety that Zhù Ying worried about. Seeing her arrive in person, Elder Sister Jin said first, “What a devoted child! Sanlang, don’t you worry — I’ll be with your mother, and I know the best spots. Nothing will go wrong.”

Jin Liang also said, “I’ll be there to watch over things. What about you? Aren’t you coming? We’re gathering several families together. What about Elder Brother Zhù?”

At the Lantern Festival, wealthy and powerful households escorted their women and children out with servants forming a human screen around them — safe, and protected from the crush of the crowd. The next tier down used cloth or rope to encircle their group and prevent anyone from getting separated.

Jin Liang’s arrangement was less elaborate — he and a few neighbors combined households, putting the women and children in the center with each family’s servants holding the ends of a cloth barrier around them. Jin Liang and the other men walked alongside to protect them.

Of course there were also young men from wealthy households, or women from great families who loved the excitement, who would slip out on their own without accompanying elders, always bringing servants along.

Zhang Xiangu said, “That old fool headed off to his Daoist temple ages ago! He never thinks about the family! And don’t you fuss over Sanlang — let the little monkey go off and do as she pleases.”

Jin Liang said with a half-joking air, “Sanlang — if you happen to encounter a beautiful young lady, don’t rush to bring her home. Marriage is a precious matter.”

Zhang Xiangu was utterly unconcerned and said, “Let her do as she likes!”

Jin Liang thought to himself: that might not be entirely fine. Sanlang had always been clear-headed and determined — if she set her eyes on a great family’s daughter, all well and good, but what if she took a fancy to someone of questionable background? That would be disastrous for her career! He resolved to have a proper talk with Zhù Ying before long. Her prospects were looking very bright; with a few more years, it was not beyond the realm of possibility to marry a Chancellor’s daughter. If no prominent person had already staked a claim, why not wait a few more years? Marry a good wife and it wouldn’t be too late even at twenty or thirty.

Zhù Ying confirmed that Zhang Xiangu and Elder Sister Jin were already arm-in-arm, and that Zhang Xiangu had her pocket money, then tucked an oilcloth into Jin Liang’s hands. “Here — if it snows later, put this over my mother.”

Jin Liang laughed and scolded, “Do you think I haven’t thought of that? We’ve brought cloaks and umbrellas too.”

Zhù Ying made a face at him, and said goodbye to them lightly.

The meeting place Zhù Ying had arranged with Huajie was the lane entrance near the herb shop. Zhù Ying ran first to Old Ma’s teahouse to collect a packet of food she had left there.

Old Ma said cheerfully, “I’ve had it warming on the steamer all this time.” He turned and brought out a duck leg wrapped in lotus leaves, a plate of steamed cured ham, a bottle of tea, and a small porcelain jar of melon seeds — all placed into a round woven bamboo food box. At the end he also tucked in two pieces of fruit. “These fruits are rare this season — I really spent generously.”

Zhù Ying laughed, “I know — I’ll keep giving you my business in the future!”

“Wonderful!”

Old Ma did not raise the favor that had been requested, and Zhù Ying did not bring it up either. She carried the small food box to the agreed spot, gave a soft cough, and a figure stepped out from a corner — it was Huajie. Both of them burst into smiles at the same time.

Huajie wore a long outer robe and had a wind hat on her head, so that her shaved head was invisible. Zhù Ying looked at her feet; Huajie lifted her hem and waggled one foot left and right, smiling. “Look — my new shoes.”

A pair of pale blue women’s shoes, embroidered with two small white plum blossoms. Zhù Ying also smiled. “How beautiful!”

The two of them drew close and walked side by side. Huajie noticed the oilcloth umbrella tucked under Zhù Ying’s arm and said, “Let me carry that — what are you carrying in your hand? Lugging that to a lantern festival?”

Zhù Ying lifted the food box with one hand and said, “Smell it — I’ve got the umbrella, don’t worry. Come on!” She tucked the umbrella under her arm, held the food box in one hand and lifted the lid with the other. “There are already crowds out there and every food stall will have a queue or a scramble for position. Have a little something first. I’ve always said a monk’s temple isn’t somewhere to live for long — how can a person do without meat?!”

Huajie laughed too, took out the duck leg, and held it up toward Zhù Ying’s mouth first. “Here.”

Zhù Ying said, “I’m not hungry — I can eat all the meat I want outside. This is for you! The sooner you can get out of that place the better.”

Huajie did not force her. The moment the duck leg touched her own lips, her teeth seemed to make up their own minds and sank right in, faster than her mind could stop them. She laughed helplessly at herself and gnawed away happily. Zhù Ying said, “There’s tea too.” The tea was still a little hot; Huajie drank some with the ham as well.

As they emerged from the lane, the street blazed with lanterns, and in the distance a giant mountain of lanterns — the great oyster-mountain display — shone brilliantly. Huajie slipped the umbrella from under Zhù Ying’s arm; Zhù Ying held the food box and opened the jar. The two walked along cracking melon seeds and watching the lanterns. From outside they might have looked like a young couple.

All kinds of lanterns lined the street — lanterns shaped like animals, lanterns depicting scenes, revolving horse-lanterns. Wealthy households passed with servants clearing the way ahead and guarding behind; small children and young beggars trailed the edges of the rich households’ barriers, hoping to snatch any jewelry that fell from the ladies inside.

Zhù Ying was overjoyed, sometimes jumping up to point at something in the distance. “That lantern over there is so lovely!”

Huajie said, “It’ll probably be on display for two more days yet. If you really want it, wait until the last day and see if they’ll sell.”

“Mm!”

Zhù Ying was only saying so — it wasn’t as if she must have that lantern. Lotus lanterns, rabbit lanterns, tiger lanterns — they watched them all, then watched the revolving horse-lanterns. They played a riddle game, each solving one lantern riddle before stopping. They kept the answers to themselves and waited for the solutions to be revealed; whenever Zhù Ying guessed correctly, she rewarded herself with a melon seed; when she guessed wrong, she noted down the riddle and answer.

Midway through the evening, snow began to fall. People on the street pulled up hoods, opened umbrellas, or decided to head home. The street performers hadn’t dispersed; the bare-chested man wielding a long spear performed with even greater energy, and Zhù Ying threw a silver shard into the bronze gong.

They played until the hour of zi. Huajie said, “Time to go back. If I remember right, you don’t have a holiday tomorrow either, do you?”

Zhù Ying had no shortage of days off during the year — a few dozen in total — but the Lantern Festival was not like the New Year; lanterns were lit, but no leave was granted. Zhù Ying sighed, and Huajie said, “You can still play tomorrow.”

Zhù Ying said, “Let’s eat some tangyuan before we go.”

By then the street still had plenty of people; the queue at the stalls was no longer so long. The two of them sat at a small stall. The stall had no awning; Zhù Ying held the umbrella over their small table and waited for the tangyuan to come. Once it arrived, both of them huddled under the umbrella to eat. Zhù Ying paid and said, slightly ruefully, “Time passes too quickly.”

Huajie said, “Once today is over there’s still tomorrow. Eat up, then we’ll walk back to help the digestion.”

After they finished, both were reluctant to part, but in the end they looked at each other and smiled. Huajie said, “I may or may not come out tomorrow — you should spend time with A’Niang too.”

“She has her friends and is having a wonderful time. If you do come out tomorrow, be sure to take care with your safety — wear your monk’s robes if you must! Losing people at the Lantern Festival means actually losing them entirely! So be careful!”

Huajie laughed. “I know.”

Zhù Ying was still uneasy, and escorted her all the way back, watching her enter Jinsuo Temple before turning to go home herself.

When she arrived home, the door was unlocked. She heard sounds of arguing inside, and without knocking, pulled out the pin from her hair, gave the lock a turn, and slipped inside. She heard Zhang Xiangu berating Zhù Da: “Why didn’t you lose yourself too?!”

Reassured, Zhù Ying bolted the door and carried her umbrella and food box to her own room. The noise paused briefly, and then Zhang Xiangu asked shrilly, “Who’s there?!”

“It’s fine — it’s me.”

Zhang Xiangu relaxed and resumed scolding Zhù Da: “You’re like a blockhead tortoise! Why’ve you gone silent now?”

Zhù Ying put her things away and went to the main hall. “What happened?”

Zhang Xiangu was scolding, but she was close to tears with frustration. “Ask him! That old fool! Always showing off! Look at what’s happened now — the money pouch is gone!”

“Don’t panic — is it the usual pouch? How much was inside?”

Zhang Xiangu was furious and miserable. “His little stash that you and I never gave a second glance to — private savings, money he’d pinched from household expenses coin by coin, all hoarded up. He brought it all out with him! New Year’s Festival night, thieves everywhere, and he carries it in the crowd! And now it’s gone!”

Zhù Da tried to salvage his dignity. “You don’t know it was stolen — it might have just dropped on the ground.”

Zhang Xiangu sat on the floor and slapped it: “What’s the difference between dropping it and having it stolen? Either way it’s gone! Oh, the children earn money with such difficulty — you go and throw it all out just like that! If I threw it in the river at least it would make a splash!”

Zhù Ying said, “Enough — Father, what did the pouch look like and how much was inside?”

Zhù Da had lost all his paternal dignity and said, “Just that pouch. I thought — our family has finally had a turn of good fortune, so I should pray for the gods to keep blessing us; I wanted to donate some oil money. So I… brought…”

He had brought two liang of gold, over ten liang of silver, and a hundred or so coins. Gone, every bit of it.

Zhù Da said, “I’ll go back to the Daoist temple first thing in the morning to look again. If I can’t find it, I’ll stay and wait there.”

Zhù Ying said, “It’s the festival — let’s not get angry. If it can be found, we’ll find it; if not, it doesn’t matter.” She felt around in her own pouch and took out a few liang of silver for Zhù Da. “For tomorrow’s outing — keep it safe and enjoy yourself.”

Zhang Xiangu scrambled to her feet. “Don’t give it to him! He’ll just give it to someone else too!” She grabbed and hit Zhù Da.

The family quarreled on until nearly midnight before settling down to sleep.

Zhù Ying had just lain down when she heard sounds outside the courtyard. She sprang lightly to her feet, opened the door without unbolting the outer gate, and vaulted up onto the courtyard wall. She saw on the ground below a bulging money pouch, and at the mouth of the lane, a figure. She leaped down, hooked the money pouch with her toe and flipped it into her hand, then flew after the retreating figure — just catching a glimpse of a back.

She said, “I see you. Stop where you are — don’t make me think you’re the one who stole it.”

The person actually stopped with their back still to her. Zhù Ying said, “What’s going on?”

The figure stood there, still hesitant to turn around. Zhù Ying stepped quickly forward to face him, and in the moonlight saw that his face bore injuries. She said, “Is this about your sister’s matter? Since I promised, there will be an outcome. We’ve already crossed paths before — no use hiding any further. Just say it plainly. I need to report for duty early in the morning.” She shook the money pouch in her hand.

The young man was the one who had come through Old Ma to plead for his sister. His face had no particularly distinctive features, but Zhù Ying’s memory was excellent — she remembered not just faces but build and gait. He said in a low voice, “I ran into him. The old man took out his money to donate oil money, and let it show…”

Zhù Da had never in his life handled large sums, and the way he handled the pouch made it obvious to anyone watching that he was carrying money. Before a thief could even make a move, Zhù Da had accidentally dropped the pouch himself, sparking a scramble among several thieves. This young man was the one who had won the fight.

“I grabbed it back, and was thinking I’d bring it to your household…”

Zhù Ying cut to the point: “Were you watching us? You’ve been keeping an eye on my parents?”

She had known for some time that he had been observing her from a distance, but she had not minded; he had watched for a few days and then withdrawn when he couldn’t bring himself to approach. She had thought he’d gone home and was waiting patiently. She had not expected this. She was very displeased.

The young man said quickly, “No, no… I wouldn’t dare.”

Zhù Ying tossed the money pouch from hand to hand and said, “I’ve noted this.”

He didn’t dare speak.

She took a few liang of silver from the pouch and handed them to him. “Go see a physician.”

In the moonlight, the young man looked at this young, handsome face — white and smooth, utterly expressionless, those pupils jet-black and bright, with not a trace of warmth — beautiful, yes, truly beautiful, but also truly frightening. It was as if in those eyes he was not a living person but an inanimate object.

In that moment he couldn’t help recalling what Old Ma had warned him: “Listen to what he says; wait patiently and don’t cause more trouble. That’s a formidable person! If he took to the streets, he’d eventually be hunted down personally by Lord Wang of the capital prefecture — and I think he could escape even that.”

He considered himself fast on his feet, and had waited until the house lights were out and everyone was asleep before throwing the pouch over the wall, thinking he had done everything right and left no trace — so how had this young official caught up with him and recognized him?

In the snowy night, sweat broke out across his back.

Zhù Ying said, “Take it. On a night of heavy snow, are you trying to make yourself easy to find? Out of consideration for your sister, I’ll let this go.”

“Yes… yes.”

Zhù Ying said, “Don’t cause any more trouble in the future. If you hear any news, you can tell me directly, or pass it through Old Ma.”

“Yes… yes.”

Zhù Ying pressed the silver into his hands. “Consider this my thanks to you. For your sister — once the Yan family case is judged, there will be an outcome. Go now. It’s terribly cold outside.”

The young man forgot his fear for a moment and burst out in joy: “Thank you, young official!” He dropped down and kowtowed several times with genuine force. Zhù Ying said, “Get up — remember to see the physician tomorrow.”

She carried the silver pouch home. No more knocking at the gate — she vaulted back over the wall into the courtyard and returned to her room to sleep.

The next morning, Zhù Ying rose to go report for duty. Zhang Xiangu had not slept well that night, and was up before dawn, muttering and grumbling as she made Zhù Ying’s breakfast. Midway through, she flung the ladle into the pot and started crying. “What is all of this anyway?”

Zhù Ying said, “What are you crying about again?”

Zhang Xiangu sniffed. “Nothing. It’s nothing to do with you. Come now — eat quickly and go report for duty. Don’t let the important things suffer.” Zhù Ying ate her breakfast in the kitchen and packed some meat cakes in a small food box — Zhang Xiangu’s greatest specialty. Zhù Ying asked, “Have you arranged with Elder Sister Jin for tonight?”

Zhang Xiangu said, “No! Going out again?! How much more money can we afford to lose?!”

Zhù Ying said nothing, glanced at the main hall, and saw Zhù Da huddled inside, not coming out. She went outside, walked a few steps, then tossed the money pouch into the snow, kicked it twice, and hooked it back up with her foot. She turned back and held it up for Zhang Xiangu to see. “Oh my — is this it?”

Zhang Xiangu leaped up. “Goodness — where did this come from? We searched all night and couldn’t find it!”

Zhù Ying said, “Keep it safe this time.”

She picked up the meat cakes and went to the Court of Judicial Review.

The festive spirit was still lingering at the Court of Judicial Review, and everyone was comparing stories about how they had spent the previous night. The Left Registrar said, “The lanterns at Bao’en Temple were lovely.” Counselor Wang said, “The arrangement at Taixu Daoist Temple was the superior one.” Zhù Ying said, “I thought the great oyster-mountain display was the most impressive.”

Hu Lian said, “That’s because you’re young and love the spectacle — you see something big and call it good. I’d say the Western Market had the greatest variety, and more unique ones too.”

This went on until Zheng Xi and the others came down from morning court and the Court of Judicial Review grew quietly subdued.

Zheng Xi assigned tasks: those to interrogate interrogated, those to write case records wrote. There were no confiscations scheduled for the day — Zheng Xi didn’t arrange such dispiriting activities in the heart of the New Year season; this was the time when the realm was meant to look prosperous and at peace.

Zhù Ying thought she would be assigned to interrogations — and if it happened to be the Yan family case, so much the better — but to her surprise Zheng Xi said, “You — it simply won’t do if you can’t read accounts! You need to study some arithmetic!”

And so, while her colleagues were all given real tasks, Zhù Ying was ordered to sit down and study arithmetic with full pay. Zheng Xi had originally planned to have her study bookkeeping; but after assessment by the accountants, they told Zheng Xi that Zhù Ying’s mathematics was in a most deplorable state. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division she knew only at the most basic level — and bookkeeping required far more than the four operations. She needed intensive remedial work.

Zheng Xi was very displeased. How could the foundations be this poor, and she still refuse to properly study the Six Arts? Why had she insisted on the Ming Law examination? Looking at all the cases the Court of Judicial Review had handled in recent days, it wasn’t just homicide investigations, was it?

And so Zheng Xi fixed his sights on Zhù Ying.

Her colleagues were delighted to watch this unfold; Counselor Wang and the others teased her. “Oh my — back to being a student! Study poorly and you’ll get your knuckles rapped.” They were older and well acquainted with her, and could afford to tease.

Leaving Zheng Xi’s main hall, Su Kuang muttered, “Little Zhù has already risen high enough. While he’s playing student, colleagues should be given a chance to earn some credit too.”

The Left Registrar glanced at him, thinking: What a fool! Doesn’t he see how much work Little Zhù does for Zheng Xi that can’t be spoken of openly? If it were you, would Zheng Xi be able to trust you?

Counselor Wang thought: Come the end of the New Year period, the confiscations will still go to her. Letting colleagues get some credit now costs her nothing. And studying arithmetic now, then going back to confiscations — that’s “sharpen the tool before the work,” isn’t it? Your griping changes nothing — it won’t come to you. Even when I retire, it still won’t come to you.

Wang and the Left Registrar exchanged a glance, and silently resolved to drag Su Kuang back at every opportunity.

Meanwhile, Zhù Ying began her life of studying arithmetic with full pay.

She learned quickly. Zheng Xi offered guidance here and there, but there was still a considerable distance between her current level and being able to handle accounts. She understood inwardly that in assigning her to study arithmetic at this point, there were two purposes: one was genuinely for her to learn more, and the other was in fact to let her lie low for a while — reduce the envy of her colleagues, while real duties would still be assigned. She also had a plan of her own: arithmetic and accounting couldn’t be mastered overnight, so she would study slowly, and not just bookkeeping. Life was long, and arithmetic had other uses — earthworks calculations, astronomy and the like. Thanks to the New Year’s Eve feast, she had a small acquaintance with minor officials from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and the Ministry of Works, and could seek guidance from them.

Seeing that she could settle her mind to it, Zheng Xi found her even more admirable.

Children of this age rarely had such composure. Not all children who had known poverty and then been given opportunity managed to maintain fine character. Some who had been born humble, once given the chance to rise above others, displayed a quality like a starving ghost before food. He had heard Jin Liang describe how on campaign, when heat and thirst came and a water source was found, you absolutely could not let soldiers drink freely — you had to scatter a handful of rice husks or grass ash into the bowls. Otherwise, drinking too quickly would cause harm.

Zhù Ying’s manner made it unnecessary to scatter rice husks into her bowl. Su Kuang, on the other hand — he truly deserved to have a little sand mixed into his rice, to make the man eat with some dignity.

Clasping his hands behind his back, Zheng Xi paced away and went back to deliberating over how many counts to charge Gong Jie with.

Zheng Xi did not know that in Zhù Ying’s heart — or really in everyone’s hearts — the path he had arranged for Zhù Ying was already remarkably smooth. He was not offering her cold water at all; he had given her a bowl of sweet warm water and said, “There’s more if you need it, but don’t drink too much — there’s a feast coming.”

Zhù Ying had no complaints at all and studied with great enthusiasm. She kept her coursework even during rest days at home. By the second month, after another half-month of study, she could already operate an abacus to multiply one-thousand-nine-hundred-twenty-seven by three-hundred-and-twenty-nine. Though she had once planned to run a small teahouse and had secretly taught herself a little arithmetic and practiced the abacus in secret, this progress was still remarkable.

Just when Zhù Ying was absorbed in her studies, a new task arrived — Zheng Xi told her to stop sitting in the Court of Judicial Review and go back to conducting confiscations. When she was done, she was to take an account book the accountants had already worked through and use it to practice her abacus skills, as a test of her progress. And remarkably, Zheng Xi had not forgotten to issue the order: “Any servant who is not a household-born slave shall be released.”

Zhù Ying had no choice but to put down the abacus. For some reason she couldn’t quite determine, the Court of Judicial Review deployed more personnel this time while the palace guard contingent was smaller; she surmised that Zheng Xi had some arrangement with the general in command. The Guanglu Grand Master Yan family happened not to be on her list, nor was the account book in her hands.

When she finished the tasks in hand, that same evening she went to Old Ma’s teahouse. Old Ma clasped his hands cheerfully. “Sanlang — a man of his word!”

Zhù Ying said, “Has the person been brought to safety?”

Old Ma said, “She has, she has.” He then put in a good word for the siblings: “That boy just didn’t stop to think; he doesn’t know any better. I told him you always do things without a flaw — he just had to learn things the hard way! Your abilities — do I not know them? He wouldn’t listen!”

Zhù Ying said, “What hard way? I never did anything to him. He was the impressive one — he even kept an eye on my family. Old Ma, aren’t you something.”

Old Ma quickly said more good words: “Never again, never again. From now on, whatever you say, we’ll listen.”

Zhù Ying smiled but said nothing. Old Ma hastily called toward the back: “What are you hiding back there for? Come out and kowtow!”

Brother and sister both appeared. Zhù Ying looked at the sister — an unremarkable-looking girl, sixteen or seventeen, with coarse, large hands, but very thin. Zhù Ying frowned; she could get thinner working in a kitchen? It showed how much she had suffered. The brother looked somewhat thinner too. Zhù Ying said, “No need for ceremony.” She gave some money to Old Ma and said, “Enough to feed them for a month. Three meals a day — don’t let them go hungry. After that, earn your own keep.”

Brother and sister could hardly believe she was being this kind-hearted, especially the brother, who had thought Zhù Ying was going to hold the matter against him.

Zhù Ying waved her hand, brushing the matter aside, but pointed a finger at Old Ma: “Don’t let this happen again. Next time, I’ll settle accounts with you.” She smiled and left.

Old Ma said, “Get up — don’t do anything stupid. When he needs you for something, do whatever he says; when he doesn’t need you, don’t go making up schemes.”

The sister said, “I’m afraid we’ll never be able to repay this kindness.”

Old Ma gave a cold laugh. “You’ll have your chance! Besides, even without any debt of gratitude — when he comes looking for you and asks you to do something, you’d best go without haggling. Otherwise he has plenty of ways to make you cooperate.”

The sister, who had seen something of the world in official households, said quietly, “From what I see, the young official doesn’t seem like a bad person — why does he still…”

Old Ma said, “Then do you think I seem like a bad person? People have their own turf. You’re within his turf, so naturally he won’t harm you. Step outside what he’s drawn, and there’s no telling.”

The brother said, “Having a circle to earn your living in is not such a bad thing.”

Old Ma cursed and said, “You’re still in my circle — get back in there and tend the fire.”

Zhù Ying finished everything others had entrusted to her, and that night she slept quite soundly. After Zhù Da’s money pouch was returned, he still went out wearing it — but no longer dared take it off, and had rigged up a small chain to keep it attached to his person, which so infuriated Zhang Xiangu that she got into another fight with him.

Having finished one more confiscation, she could go back to studying arithmetic with full pay — she set off for the Court of Judicial Review in quite good spirits, humming a little tune.

Before she even reached the Court, she was stopped by Yang the sixth from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, who said, “Little Zhù — let me ask you something.”

Zhù Ying said, “What is it?”

Yang the sixth said in a furtive tone, “I heard that the uncle of the Crown Prince’s intended was also implicated?”

The Crown Prince was eighteen this year and it was time he took a wife. Though the formal rites had not yet been completed, everyone at court knew that a young lady of a distinguished family had already been informally selected, and people behind closed doors had taken to calling her the Crown Princess. Zhù Ying asked, “Where did you hear that?”

Yang the sixth said, “My uncle told my family.”

Yang the sixth’s uncle was in fact a eunuch who served the Emperor — a man of standing in the palace. Though a eunuch, he had taken a wife after coming into his position; she was not exactly a great family’s daughter, but was a respectable woman from an ordinary family. Yang the sixth was the nephew of this eunuch’s wife’s family. As a result, he had access to a great many scraps of inside information, quite remarkably timely.

Zhù Ying said, “I may have heard something of that, but surely it won’t come to confiscation.”

“Oh dear, this is terrible! That person is truly ruthless — just because he’s at odds with his brother, to go this far? Tsk tsk!”

Zhù Ying said, “Other matters you can pass around freely, but this particular one — say as little as possible.”

“I’m only asking you!”

Zhù Ying said, “Then that’s all I know. At any rate, it won’t be a more serious crime than Gong Jie’s treason.”

“True enough. Hey — who’s that? Running so fast? Old Wang? What’s got into him? Is a dog chasing him?”

The person running toward them was none other than Counselor Wang!

Zhù Ying hurried forward to intercept him: “Old Wang — what’s happened?”

Counselor Wang said, “Something tremendous! Another denunciation has come in!”

“Denouncing what?”

Counselor Wang said, “Sixth is here too? You’d better head back to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices now — it’s about time the senior officials are returning from morning court.” Having sent Yang the sixth away, Counselor Wang said to Zhù Ying, “The Gong Jie treason case was almost fully concluded — and now someone has decided to make a name for himself! He’s denounced Gong’s wife, Madam Guan!”

“Her?” Zhù Ying had a clear impression of this person. “What could she have done?”

“The families of convicted officials can be sent to the inner palace as servants, made into official servants, assigned to do hard labor in the wards, or sentenced to become official entertainers. You know this?”

Zhù Ying frowned. “Yes.”

“If there is no specific arrangement, some unlucky ones get sentenced to become official entertainers. But some with a kind heart — even if made into servants — well, there was a past case where Gong Jie denounced his friend Adviser Feng, and the Feng family along with his father-in-law’s family were all confiscated and exiled. This Madam Guan specifically demanded that Adviser Feng’s wife and daughters be sentenced to become official entertainers!”

Zhù Ying was genuinely startled. “There was this twist? But even so… why are you in such a panic?”

“Goodness! You don’t know — Chancellor Chen’s legal wife is the same mother’s own elder sister as Feng’s wife! His eldest son’s own maternal aunt once… oh, this is difficult to say decently! We must hurry and report to Zheng Xi for him to decide!”

Zhù Ying said quietly, “You’ve made sure everyone who knows has sealed their lips?”

“Done.”

Zhù Ying said, “Stay calm. Don’t say a word to anyone else. I’ll go back to the prison and give another reminder.”

Counselor Wang wiped his brow. “Good.”