After leaving the capital prefectural office, Bao the Evaluating Official lowered his voice and asked Zhù Ying, “Little Zhù, did you manage to offend everyone at the capital prefectural office?”
The two of them had passed the imperial examinations in the same year. Bao the Evaluating Official was considerably older than Zhù Ying, and though their official ranks were not that far apart, he would often address her as “Little Zhù” to set himself apart from others.
Zhù Ying spread her hands and said, “This was originally the capital prefectural office’s case.”
Bao the Evaluating Official made a sound of acknowledgment, drew a breath, and was about to say that Zhù Ying had clearly been getting along well with the people there during her previous visits to the capital prefectural office — what a terrible shame — but held his tongue. The assignment had been handed down by Zheng Xi, and Zhù Ying had no power to refuse. To say so plainly would be like speaking ill of their superior behind his back.
He thought a moment and said, “Prefect Zheng has too fine a temperament. That General Zhou keeps making trouble for him without any cause, and still he has to protect him.”
Zhù Ying said indifferently, “It’s all a matter of personal connections.”
Bao the Evaluating Official sighed, “Hah! Let’s not trouble ourselves with all those rights and wrongs of theirs. The real question is how you’re going to repair the goodwill you’ve lost with the capital prefectural office.”
Zhù Ying said, “The capital prefectural office isn’t foolish — they’re having things taken from their pocket, and we expect them to thank us for it? Let it be for now; we’ll deal with it later. The most pressing thing is to see what progress has been made in the case. I’m worried there won’t be much trace left.”
Bao the Evaluating Official said judiciously, “If Magistrate Wang doesn’t give you a hard time, that’s already something. As for the underlings — hard to say. I’m afraid we’ll have to rely on ourselves.”
Zhù Ying said, “The body is in their hands.”
“But the suspect is in ours.”
“The suspect may not be the real culprit. The body, on the other hand, is very much real.”
The two walked and talked, and halfway along Zhù Ying said, “Wait a moment.” She told the accompanying clerks to return to the Court of Judicial Review first, then changed out of her official robes with Bao the Evaluating Official and went to the brothel where the crime had occurred to scout out information.
——
Both having changed into fashionable spring clothes, the two strolled at a leisurely pace to the pleasure quarter. In the afternoon, the flower street had already begun preparing to receive guests, and it was nearly impossible to tell that a murder had occurred here just the previous night — or perhaps that very morning. The street hadn’t even been sealed off; even the brothel where the killing had happened was still there, its inhabitants carrying on as normal, even preparing to welcome customers.
Zhù Ying and Bao the Evaluating Official peered inside, and a manservant immediately bent at the waist and bustled forward to greet them, “Two honored gentlemen, please come in!”
The brothel’s layout began with a courtyard as you entered, decorated with flowers and plantings that created an impression of depth even in what was actually a shallow space. Beyond it was a broad main hall furnished with tables and chairs, with an open stretch of carpet in the center — evidently where musical and dance performances were given. The manservant was guiding them toward the best-situated table.
Zhù Ying looked about with curiosity and said, “I heard that here, you—”
The manservant said, “Which matter are you referring to, sir? If it’s that one — yes, it really did happen. See, there are still two fellows over there keeping watch.”
The two looked and saw that the back door of the main hall had been left open. Through it, sure enough, stood two constables with sabers at their sides.
Bao the Evaluating Official thought to himself — he had often heard it said that the women of the pleasure quarter had no feelings at all, and now he saw it was true. A death had just occurred, and yet they still…
He said, “This is quite chilling. How can you still keep your doors open?”
The response came from a woman in her middle years — she glided over, of a kind with Season Nine Niang: elegant and graceful. “Dear sir, we also need to eat. We still have to pay our dues to those above us on time. My girls are all frightened, and I would gladly let them rest — but if they rest, where am I supposed to find the money to pay our dues?”
Going by her clothes and appearance, she seemed to be a cut above Season Nine Niang — though she now wore a trace of anxiety.
Zhù Ying stepped back two paces and said, “Don’t look at me — I have no money.”
This made the woman laugh, and she gave a graceful bow.
Bao the Evaluating Official, worried that Zhù Ying might be led astray in her youth, stepped forward to ask the woman her name. She said, “My humble name is not fit to grace your ears — you may call me Fifth Niang. Young sir, when you come to a place like this, you can’t say you have no money.”
Zhù Ying sighed and said, “Very well then. There is money — just not much of it.”
In the time it took for these few exchanges, the two constables came around from the back of the main hall: “Who’s there? Oh — Master Little Zhù, are you a regular? We’ve been ordered to watch here and look for anyone gathering information. No offense meant.”
Bao the Evaluating Official said, “Court of Judicial Review business!”
The two constables exchanged glances. “The Court of Judicial Review also has a case to handle here? Fifth Niang — did your establishment commit some other offense?”
Fifth Niang said, “Please don’t speak carelessly. Our house has always been law-abiding; how would we dare commit any offense? We are the victims here! As it turns out, the two gentlemen are officials from the Court of Judicial Review. I don’t recognize you — how should I address you?”
Zhù Ying said, “I’m surnamed Zhù, he’s surnamed Bao. We’re here to have a look around.” Then, turning to the constables, she said, “There is an imperial decree — the Court of Judicial Review and the capital prefectural office are handling this case jointly. Zhou You has already been taken to the Court of Judicial Review’s prison.”
The two constables had been stationed here since early morning and knew nothing of this turn of events; both were stunned. “What?”
Fifth Niang, who knew that Zhou You was a man of considerable standing, thought to herself: different fates for different people — this General Zhou has remarkable fortune indeed.
Zhù Ying said, “Would I have come here for no reason? Right then — how are things? What’s new?”
The two constables said, “Only those few rooms are connected to the case, so those have been sealed. The rest of the place was going to be sealed as well, but when they said they had nowhere to stay, we let them remain — who knew they’d go and try to do business again!”
Fifth Niang took the opportunity to instruct the manservants to bring tea, and had the girls come out to set out fruit and cakes to attend to “the two officials.” Zhù Ying said, “You want money, so money is what matters most to you — even if the sky fell, you wouldn’t yield an inch. I’m here to solve a case, so the case matters most to me. No matter what else you give me, nothing must get in the way of my work.”
Fifth Niang wore an expression caught between laughter and tears. “How would I dare get in your way? This is no small matter — how could I possibly think to muddle through it? The southern army soldiers nearly tore my establishment apart. Then the northern army came, shouting that they would burn this den of thieves to the ground. If it hadn’t been for these two constables, I truly would have fled to the countryside to lie low. We are desperate for this case to be solved quickly. If I don’t receive you properly, I’m afraid of being disrespectful.”
Zhù Ying looked over the layout of Fifth Niang’s establishment. She had been inside only two such houses of pleasure, and this was the second; it looked even more lavish than Season Nine Niang’s place. Season Nine Niang’s seemed to cultivate a refined, quiet elegance, while this one clearly went for lively grandeur, and the space was also a bit more expansive.
She said, “All right, then — let’s go over everything from the beginning.”
Fifth Niang had already identified Zhù Ying as the one in charge, and personally brought over the tea, saying, “This is the flavor Vice Minister Leng likes best. Please try it.”
The corner of Zhù Ying’s mouth twitched. She said, “Prefect Zheng of the Court of Judicial Review is personally overseeing this case.”
Fifth Niang simply kept her smile and offered the cakes as well, saying, “If you want me to start from the beginning, I honestly don’t know where to begin, because when it started no one expected it to end this way, so no one was paying attention. My establishment was right here — you see, here, here, and here… at the time there were people everywhere. Some friends ran into each other by chance and were having a good laugh, others who had an old grudge were squabbling it out, and this sort of thing happens every single day. So when General Zhou and that General Ma got into a quarrel, nobody paid it any mind — everyone just wanted to calm them down and be done with it.”
Beside her, Bao the Evaluating Official had been served tea and fruit by one of the girls, and asked on Zhù Ying’s behalf: “What were they quarreling about? And then what happened? Was it jealousy?”
“It wasn’t that,” Fifth Niang said. “They were fighting over a seat. What sort of person is General Zhou? He couldn’t bear to come in second. At that moment, there was no one in the hall of higher rank than him — but unfortunately, the other party was not one to take a loss lying down either. Each had brought their attendants, and once they started jeering back and forth at each other, things turned unpleasant very quickly.”
Bao the Evaluating Official asked, “What did they say?”
“Well… General Ma mocked General Zhou for being a twenty-something child…”
“Ha!” Zhù Ying laughed — that General Ma truly had a mouth on him.
Fifth Niang also smiled helplessly. “He said that he couldn’t make decisions in his own home, that some elder must be keeping him in line, so he couldn’t even send for an official courtesan to be brought over to him, and had to sneak out here to steal a taste. Rather than fighting over seats, he would do better to go home and nurse at the breast, since his family had likely kept three or five wet nurses to feed him from infancy to adulthood.”
Bao the Evaluating Official had been listening with amusement and asked, “So General Zhou struck first?”
Zhou You was a man of a certain sort — he considered himself on par even with someone like Zheng Xi, not the least bit inferior to anyone, let alone others.
Fifth Niang said, “He had his manservant curse back first, before any striking. The manservant said that General Ma was useless, that even with his great grey beard he still had to come here to freeload, and clearly couldn’t have anyone brought home. The two sides couldn’t agree, and so it came to blows, with people egging them on too. They were barely separated, and then sat on opposite sides to cool down.”
“Where did each side sit?” Bao the Evaluating Official asked.
Fifth Niang pointed and said, “Just in the back. General Zhou was on the left, General Ma was on the right.”
Zhù Ying rose to go look. Beyond the main hall, a small path led to a few small courtyards arranged in a row along it, with decorative rockeries, plantings, small ponds, and the like. Fifth Niang gave a running commentary as they walked. Fifth Niang’s establishment had around ten girls; there were only five small courtyards, one of which was Fifth Niang’s own residence. The girls were organized with an “elder sister” occupying the main room of each courtyard along with several “younger sisters,” all of them looking after themselves. In this place full of women, a dedicated maid was something of a luxury. As for the male servants, they lived in a row of low rooms along the wall.
Looking at the rooms where the two men had spent the night, they were two decent courtyards facing each other diagonally. Lovely gauze lanterns hung under both eaves, and both doors were now plastered with the capital prefectural office’s sealing strips.
When Zhù Ying wanted to look inside, a constable said, “Master Little Zhù, we would not presume to break the seal on our own authority.”
Zhù Ying took no offense. She bent down to examine the ground beneath her feet. The sky had not yet darkened, and the capital prefectural office had not only sealed the doors but had also roped off a section of the small path. Even so, not many useful traces had been preserved. Zhù Ying went around to look at the outer walls of both courtyards and found that these small courtyards even had small back gates. Going further back, Fifth Niang’s own establishment also had a rear door. Fifth Niang explained, “There are always some ladies who’ve misheard and come looking here — this gate is for the benefit of their husbands.”
Zhù Ying took a circuit of Fifth Niang’s whole establishment, then made her way back through the rear door, also checking the stables, the other small courtyards, the decorative rockeries and ponds nearby, and finally stopping outside the courtyard where the crime had taken place. She asked, “A lot of people must have come through here?”
Fifth Niang gave a rueful smile. “Just those two men’s attendants alone numbered several, and they nearly came to blows again — then there were the guests who came to intervene, myself coming to intervene as well, and then first thing this morning when it happened, more people came to watch, then more again after the authorities were notified. Truly lost count.”
Zhù Ying asked, “How many people went in and out of the courtyard?”
Fifth Niang said, “That was no small number either! Servants coming and going to attend on them through the night, bringing tea and water; their attendants; then the people who came to apprehend them in the morning.”
“Was the gate closed at night?”
Fifth Niang said, “That depends on the guest’s preferences. That General Ma — he kept the courtyard gate closed.”
Zhù Ying asked further, “How many people does your establishment have in total?”
“Counting men and women, a total of twenty-seven.”
Zhù Ying went back to the main hall and had Fifth Niang bring everyone out. Going through them one by one against the register, she had them walk past her and back again, then stand in a row. Besides Fifth Niang herself, there was Fifth Niang’s husband, twelve registered girls, one son, three kitchen workers, two maidservants, and six manservants and odd-job workers.
The one “daughter” who was missing was currently lying in the capital prefectural office’s coroner’s hall.
Zhù Ying asked which of them had shared the courtyard with the victim, and which had shared the courtyard with Zhou You. A gentle, docile young girl stepped forward. “This servant is called Ling Ling, and served General Zhou.” Several other girls were also pointed out as having lodged in the same courtyard, though they had stayed in the side rooms.
Zhù Ying asked her, “What did Zhou You do?”
Ling Ling said, “He drank wine, listened to music, joked around with us — and spoke a few words against General Ma. Later he drank too much and fell asleep.”
“He didn’t get up in the night?”
Ling Ling said, “He wanted this servant to drink with him, and this servant also drank too much.”
When she asked the other girls, some said they had guests of their own and had no attention to spare for Zhou You; one said she had been unwell the previous night, had taken medicine, and slept soundly — none of them knew anything.
When she asked about the victim, the girl who had shared her bed was dead; the girls in the side rooms all shook their heads and said, “I don’t know.”
Zhù Ying also asked, “The deceased — did she have any particular habits?”
Fifth Niang said, “Alas, those peculiarities of his — aren’t we the ones who had to endure them? He liked to hit, liked to tie people up, liked to drip candle wax heated red-hot on the body…”
When asked whether there had been anything unusual, the whole household said there had been nothing. Fifth Niang said, “The first half of the night was lively; by the second half everyone had worn themselves out and fallen into a deep sleep.”
Zhù Ying sighed and told the two constables, “Keep close watch on this place; let no one else in.”
Fifth Niang still wanted to ask, “When will all this end for us?”
Bao the Evaluating Official snapped, “Such a lot of words!”
After the two left Fifth Niang’s establishment, Bao the Evaluating Official said, “Well — not a crack to be found. It’s getting late. Shall we head back? Let’s see if we can question General Zhou.”
Zhù Ying said, “You still want to interrogate him? Let’s go home! Early tomorrow morning we’ll check what Vice Minister Pei has managed to find out.”
Bao the Evaluating Official said, “Fair enough — I think Vice Minister Pei has a bit of the Magistrate Wang mold to him; perhaps he’ll get something out of Zhou You.”
The two agreed to return to the Court of Judicial Review early the next morning to deliberate carefully and plan their next steps. Bao the Evaluating Official said gravely, “That centipede wanted to worm his way in but didn’t manage it — thank you, Elder Brother Zhù, for letting me take part in this case.”
Zhù Ying said, “Why speak of it like that? General Zhou is not exactly a reasonable man; whether our getting a look at his sorry state is a blessing or a curse I have no idea. And now we’re in a standoff with the capital prefectural office, with the higher-ups giving us a deadline to solve the case — I’m afraid I’ll drag you down with me.”
Bao the Evaluating Official said boldly, “Fortune is won through risk! I should be thanking Elder Brother Zhù for the opportunity.”
The two parted ways. Zhù Ying turned and twisted through the streets, shook off a manservant from Fifth Niang’s who had been tailing her, then made her way through several detours to the rear gate of a certain establishment and knocked the door ring.
A voice inside asked, “Who’s there?”
“Looking for Nine Niang.”
The person inside cracked open the rear gate; Zhù Ying gave it a push and swung it open. The person had no memory of her, and asked, “Hey! Who are you? How dare you barge in here? There’s a perfectly good front door — are you a thief?”
Two burly men rolled up their sleeves and came over to drive out the troublemaker; Zhù Ying held her ground and said, “Have Nine Niang come and see me.”
“Who do you think you are, calling for Nine Niang by name?”
“Go ask her — hasn’t it been a very long time since Young Master Chen visited?”
“Pah! Young Master Chen doesn’t look anything like you.”
Zhù Ying stood smiling; the two men looked at each other. The one who had opened the gate moved first: “I’ll go tell Nine Niang!”
A moment later, Nine Niang came gliding out. “Who is it? Things are busy out front…. Who… You are? Oh! Master Little Zhù!”
Zhù Ying said, “You’d really make me come in through the front door to ask my questions?”
Nine Niang was alarmed. “What? Is there yet another case involving my house? These past few days… you can’t be serious — we never shelter criminals here!”
Zhù Ying said, “Just a few words. We can talk right here.”
Nine Niang quickly sent everyone else away, then leaned close and asked, “What does Master Little Zhù wish to ask?”
Zhù Ying said, “What do you know about the business at Fifth Niang’s?”
“This…”
“Why do you think I came in through the back gate? It’s to leave you room to maneuver.”
Nine Niang said, “Hah! On this street, we’re all pretty much the same. Her establishment has it over ours by quite a bit, though. The thing is, with so many people, all sorts of complications arise, and there are always troublemakers. General Zhou looks vexing, I’ll admit — but when it comes to the type we get here, having someone like him is actually good luck. He doesn’t seem like someone capable of killing.”
Zhù Ying said, “Whether it was him or not, I’ll investigate. What I’m asking is this: General Ma — did he have any enemies? Is there anyone on this street who bore him a grudge?” As for Zhou You… tsk! He didn’t even know himself what enmity he’d stirred up.
“That General Ma, his preferences weren’t very pleasant — no girl could bear him. You ask if there’s anyone who hates him or fears him — yes, there are — but none who would dare act on it. Besides, they couldn’t win in a fight against him either. Aiya, Fifth Niang has always been someone who refuses to lose, and this time she’s well and truly run into disaster.”
Zhù Ying asked, “Has there been anything going on at Fifth Niang’s recently? Anyone making her jealous, any disputes, quarrels…?”
“Nothing of that sort — just the usual things.”
Zhù Ying smiled and said, “I’ll be back in a few days. If you hear any news…”
Nine Niang was almost in tears. Last time Zhù Ying had dealings with her, she had directly had a money-making Pearl set free, and had even told Nine Niang not to hold back Pearl’s belongings — a hefty sum lost! Now she was being asked to inform on a fellow in the trade. True, her relationship with Fifth Niang was not exactly warm — but still, she wouldn’t take that risk.
Zhù Ying said, “What are you afraid of?”
“Every time you show up at my door, how am I supposed to run a business?”
“Oh?”
“You don’t look like you’ve come here to have a good time!”
“Can’t I be a down-on-his-luck scholar?”
Nine Niang said, “What counts here is, first, money, and second, power. Talent, cleverness — all of that stands aside.”
Zhù Ying laughed and turned to pull open the rear gate: “I’m going now — no need to see me out.”
Nine Niang quickly called over her bouncers: “This one is from the Court of Judicial Review — don’t go offending them if you run into them in the future! How did I end up worse off than Fifth Niang?”
——
Zhù Ying left Nine Niang’s establishment, and the sky had grown dark. She shook her clothes out and strode briskly toward home, just making it to the ward gate as the drum began to beat. Once the drumbeats ceased, it would be the start of the curfew.
Back home, Huajie and Zhang Xiangu were just setting the dinner on the table, and Huajie said with a smile, “Today you were supposed to go to Teacher Yang’s house — how did you get back so early?”
Zhù Ying said, “You call this early? Listen — the drum is nearly done.”
Zhang Xiangu said, “When don’t you come strolling through the ward gate on the very last beat? Sniff, sniff — what’s that odd smell on you?”
Zhù Ying had spent most of the afternoon at the pleasure quarter; both Nine Niang and Fifth Niang had been fragrant, though not with the same perfume, and a whole mixture of scents had rubbed off on her. She sniffed herself and said, “Oh, probably brushed up against something by accident. Papa — dinner’s ready.”
Zhù Da was crouching outside by the wall with his head in his hands, brooding. “Coming,” he muttered.
Zhang Xiangu scolded, “If you’re not showing off and swaggering, your whole body aches! Every bone in you is cheap — one puff of wind and you want to float up to the heavens!”
Zhù Ying looked at Huajie; Huajie said in a low voice, “You’re handling a case right now, aren’t you? Just this afternoon, some people came — they said they were from General Zhou’s household, and asked us to look after their general. I thought about it — the General Zhou you know is probably just the one called Zhou You. But I didn’t know what kind of case he was caught up in, so I didn’t dare accept anything.”
Zhù Ying said, “That was exactly the right call.”
“How so?”
“A murder case, and he’s the suspect. It happened in the pleasure quarter. The deceased was also a general. The capital prefectural office apprehended him first; the imperial guards then went to Prefect Zheng, and the Court of Judicial Review has taken over the case — I’ve been assigned to assist Vice Minister Pei in handling it.”
“Ah!”
“So yes — not accepting was the right decision.”
Zhang Xiangu pressed a pair of chopsticks into Zhù Da’s hands and said, “Exactly! What sort of general is that worthless creature! Even when he sent gifts he had his nose in the air! He’s clearly no good. The gift looked off to Huajie, and I thought — a bell you’ve stolen can’t be rung; if you covered for him and they investigated it later, you’d be in for it. You can’t hold up under scrutiny. And this old man would have a hard time of it too.”
Zhù Da said, “Nonsense! That’s not what I’m worried about!”
“Then what?”
Zhù Da said, “Money… our household has no money left.”
All three women fell silent at the same time. Zhù Ying did a quick mental accounting — the household finances were indeed looking rather thin. In the capital, everything was expensive. Before, being a minor struggling official had been manageable, but once you rose in rank, the costs of social obligations went up too — whether the expense of one’s wardrobe or the cost of gifts and entertaining. The rent alone now came to nearly forty strings of coins a year. Her salary, if she didn’t buy land or a house, would just about do — but she had already bought land and was planning to buy a house. The small hidden treasury from the confiscation affair had nearly run out, and it wasn’t enough to buy a decent house anyway.
Their household had no money left. If she hadn’t had the advantage taken during the confiscation, she couldn’t even afford the rent on this house. That salary, once clothes, food, and rent were accounted for, was essentially gone the moment it arrived.
She’d rather let things get a little out of hand.
Zhù Ying cleared her throat and said, “Money — I’ll figure something out. Don’t accept gifts from outside.”
Zhang Xiangu said, “Don’t listen to him! Who says the family has no money? He skims a bit every time he buys groceries! Once he loses a coin purse and he can lose over ten silver taels in one go! Old man, look at yourself — have you no shame!”
And so a quarrel erupted, and that was the end of that.
After dinner, Huajie came to confer with Zhù Ying about how to economize and increase income. She said, “It’s not really my place to manage the household affairs — but the way I see it, you don’t need to be too anxious.”
Zhù Ying said, “What is or isn’t your place? Without your planning we’d all be running around in a panic.”
Huajie smiled and said, “Actually, you already have that field — the plans for building the farmstead are nearly complete, so you already have one piece of property. The household isn’t without money; it’s that being comfortable in the capital is just a little beyond reach for now. At your age, your rank, with no clan to rely on — among a hundred young officials, there isn’t a single one who can match you. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
Zhù Ying said, “I’m not.”
Huajie told her to take off the clothes that had gotten perfume on them and set them aside to be washed tomorrow. Then she said, “I know what Foster Father means. He’s uneasy at heart and always wants a bit of savings put by in case something unexpected happens. But trying to rush things leads to mistakes — better to walk steadily, one step at a time.”
Zhù Ying said, “Mm! Oh right — if I wanted to set up a shop in the capital, how much would that take?”
Huajie was startled. “Are you thinking of renting? It’s not suitable for us to run it ourselves, and even if it were, we don’t have the strength for it at present. To buy — that would actually be more complicated and more expensive than buying a house. A shop in an out-of-the-way location — even if cheaper — can’t get its business going, the rental income won’t be worth much, and you’d just be tying up money for nothing. The desirable locations — we can’t get our hands on those. Either they’ve been in the hands of local old establishments for generations, or there’s someone powerful behind them.”
Zhù Ying sighed, “All right, forget it then. I was thinking that the land being outside the city and so far away only gives me a fallback position. A shop in the city would be easier to keep an eye on.”
Huajie smiled, “Take it slowly. I’ve worked out your salary — right now the household expenses are just about covered. I’ll set aside another string of coins for you each month; in a year that’s more than one string, plus the extra you get during the festivals — that adds up a little too. Foster Father and Foster Mother are getting on in years and will probably need some money for tonics and medicines — that sum needs to be kept separate.”
Zhù Ying listened to Huajie’s meticulous arrangements and thought to herself: dammit — so having a wife is this good. I actually want to get married myself.
She said, “Fine. I’ll do as you say.”
Huajie said quietly, “That business with General Zhou — is it very difficult?”
Zhù Ying said, “Vice Minister Pei is above me, and Prefect Zheng is above Vice Minister Pei. If those two can hold out, naturally it won’t be my problem; and if they can’t hold out, it won’t be mine to shoulder either.”
Huajie said, “You always find your way through things. But don’t work yourself too hard — resting when you should rest means you can go further.”
“I’ve been resting for two years already. I’m not tired.”
Huajie smiled, gathered up the clothes, and left.
Zhù Ying scratched at her face and thought: right, money is short. No money means no house of her own — and that can’t go on forever. But she also couldn’t be too stingy, because being too stingy made life not worth living.
She turned the problem of money over for a while, and then fell asleep.
——
The next morning Zhù Da went out early to buy breakfast; Zhang Xiangu and Huajie wanted to cook at home to save money, but Zhù Da said it was unnecessary — as if he hadn’t been the one lamenting the empty household coffers just the night before.
Zhù Ying shook her head. With Huajie around, she no longer had to carry meat pies every day, and there was always some variety to the food. Before, it had been filled pastries; now there were wrapped rolls, and also cakes and sweet buns.
She ate cheerfully, and her mood lifted a little. She set off at a brisk pace toward the imperial city, and when she arrived at the Court of Judicial Review and found that Zheng Xi and the others had not yet returned from court, she went first to the prison.
Zhou You hadn’t gotten up yet; the officials from the Ministry of Justice who were keeping him company had only just risen. Zhù Ying waved a greeting at them and glanced inside, then went to find the prison warden to talk. The warden said under his breath, “The one in there — can’t keep his nerves under control. One look at him and you can tell he’s not the sort who can carry a heavy burden.”
“Has he been difficult?”
“Tsk! Him — and those two from the Ministry of Justice — have been an absolute torment! Wants this, wants that — complains the room isn’t airy enough, complains the smell isn’t good! Then wants incense burned, wants the insects driven away. Then says the food doesn’t suit him, and insists he must have his family’s lotus seed soup. Hah — isn’t that something ladies eat? I see he hasn’t a single scrap of manliness.”
In Zhù Ying’s mind, a plan began to take shape — why not just let Zhou You stay in the Court of Judicial Review’s prison for a few more days?
After all, the murder weapon was his; he had brawled with the deceased and made threatening remarks; and being housed in Gong Jie’s former cell was quite an honor for this profligate young man.
She pressed a wrapped roll into the prison warden’s hand, gave the warden a pat on the shoulder, and left.
By the time Zheng Xi returned from court and had assigned the day’s tasks, Zhù Ying was once again under Vice Minister Pei Qing’s command for the Zhou You case. She and Bao the Evaluating Official went first to see Pei Qing and ask for the day’s instructions.
Pei Qing asked her, “How did it go yesterday?”
Zhù Ying said, “The capital prefectural office was looking at me like I was something offensive — eyes saying no to my face and no to my nose. The body I did manage to see; what Coroner Tian said matched what Coroner Yang had recorded in the postmortem report — no significant discrepancies.”
Pei Qing smiled and shook his head. “And?”
“Bao the Evaluating Official and I went to the scene of the crime. The capital prefectural office had it sealed and wouldn’t let us look; we didn’t think it worth stirring up a conflict with them, so we withdrew. We also questioned the household there — they all said there was nothing unusual. I think we’ll need to ask you to step in so we can get a proper look at the scene.”
Pei Qing said, “Hmm, the capital prefectural office… Magistrate Wang isn’t a petty man.”
Zhù Ying said, “Err… the underlings…”
Pei Qing said, “I understand.”
He went to see Zheng Xi and explained the situation; Zheng Xi said, “Well done. Zi Cheng ought to make clear to the capital prefectural office that this court has no intention of snatching their case or profiting at their expense — they should also understand that if the southern army and northern army clash and it reaches the throne, that becomes my problem too.”
Pei Qing said, “You’re waiting for them to bring it before the throne and have His Majesty issue a decree — and then things will go smoothly. For now it’s Little Zhù who suffers — she’s been dealing with them for days, and now she has to eat humble pie. I’ll go to the capital prefectural office myself in a moment.”
Zheng Xi said, “Old Huang, call her over.”
Pei Qing said, “Look at you — don’t be too hard on the child.”
Zheng Xi said, “I have my reasons.”
Pei Qing left so as not to stand there watching, giving Zhù Ying some dignity. Zhù Ying came before Zheng Xi, and Zheng Xi asked, “Did the capital prefectural office give you trouble?”
Zhù Ying said, “They wanted to take it out on me — I just never thought to accept that. They had to swallow it themselves.”
Zheng Xi gave a derisive snort. “Just as I thought you’d say. How did it go? Did they cause you difficulties?”
“No trouble, just obstructions. I managed to see the body; the sealed scene I couldn’t get in to. Oh — I also questioned the witnesses at the establishment and I’m convinced something is hidden in there. I still need to look more carefully.”
Zheng Xi said, “Vice Minister Pei will go in person — whatever you need to see, tell him, and make sure you see it, ask what you need to ask. Friction between two cooperating offices is inevitable; it’s not because of you alone. “
“Yes.”
“Everything you looked at yesterday — I don’t believe you didn’t see something.”
Zhù Ying said, “Yesterday when I got home, I heard that someone from General Zhou’s household had brought a load of gifts — gold, silver, and valuables. My household didn’t accept them. I’m thinking…”
“Mm?”
“Let’s keep Zhou You locked up to the maximum, shall we? Otherwise they’ll think I’m spineless — that I won’t take their money but will let their man go free.”
Zheng Xi threw back his head and laughed. “Haha! You! Impertinent! What — is he innocent?”
“He’s a scoundrel. His mouth is vile, his hands are vile, and his feet even more so. To exonerate him, they must first prove the killing wasn’t his doing. Even if the knife is his. Hmm — I haven’t even seen that knife yet.”
“Mm-hm! You’ll get to see it.”
“I’m ninety-nine percent certain he didn’t have it in him. But I still need to see the scene. This morning I went to the prison for a look — with his temperament, if he gets out, he’ll go stirring up trouble with the capital prefectural office, the Court of Judicial Review, the flower street, and the southern army all at once. Better to keep him locked up and stop him from causing havoc.”
“How did you determine it wasn’t him?”
Zhù Ying said, “The scene is a small courtyard with a front and back gate. The front gate was diagonally across from the room where Zhou You slept; everyone was drunk and no one heard a sound. Lots of people came and went through the front gate, so footprints are going to be hard to find. But near the gate itself, I didn’t see his prints. Then there’s the small back gate — only a few of the establishment’s own people went through there. Also, I still need to look more carefully at that brothel.”
Zheng Xi said, “You may. Remember — there are only fifteen days in total, and today is already the second. If there’s no progress in a few more days, I’ll have to ease up on Zhou You.”
Zhù Ying said, “Better to keep the pressure on. I say ninety-nine percent, but that evidence only I can see — if I were to say it out loud, the southern army wouldn’t believe me.”
“If it’s not him, we need to find the real culprit.”
Zhù Ying said, “The perpetrator was very likely a man — or at least one of the perpetrators was a man. If it was a woman, she’d need exceptional martial skill, and such people are rare; I haven’t identified any yet. There are several possibilities: first, a passing criminal — which would make things hopeless. Second, some motivated party — in a brothel, entanglements over money and affection are most common, and acting on impulse — the way Zhou You did — is also possible. Then there’s an enemy of General Ma, or an enemy of Zhou You. Fifth Niang’s enemies can’t be ruled out either. And if the target wasn’t General Ma but the courtesan, that’s yet another angle — we’d need to look into the backgrounds of all three or four of these people. The capital prefectural office would really come in handy there; they have the manpower. But the thing is…”
Zheng Xi said, “You don’t need to worry about that — Pei Qing will be accompanying you, and I’ll have a proper talk with the capital prefectural office.”
“Please don’t — when children fight, whoever drags in a parent loses. They’ll never hold their heads up again. I can handle them on my own.”
Zheng Xi said with some exasperation, “Fine — just knowing you’re a child is good enough. Go.”
Zhù Ying stuck out her tongue and said, “Yes, sir.”
Pei Qing waited for Zhù Ying to come out and find him, and said, “All sorted?”
“Yes!”
Pei Qing also smiled; he had overheard Zheng Xi laughing too, and thought to himself: still a child at heart.
——
Pei Qing led Zhù Ying and Bao the Evaluating Official to the capital prefectural office. Before they even reached the gate, Pei Qing spotted a large crowd gathered outside, and his heart lurched: surely it wasn’t the southern army and northern army causing a scene again?
Apart from those two factions, he couldn’t imagine who else would dare make trouble at Wang Yunhe’s door.
But this time he guessed wrong. Drawing closer, he saw there were no soldiers in uniform — only a ring of spectators, with constables sighing as they tried to disperse them, while also trying to reason with a young girl in mourning white who stood in the space at the center of the ring. “Miss, Magistrate Wang will certainly decide this case impartially — don’t you trust Magistrate Wang?”
The girl spoke clearly and distinctly. “Of course I trust Magistrate Wang. But I also know the suspect Zhou You was released into someone’s custody from the capital prefectural office. There are officials in this world more powerful than Magistrate Wang — I’m afraid they’ll harm him! I will take my father’s remains home for burial so as not to cause him trouble. After I’ve buried my father properly, I will go before the palace to appeal my case! I refuse to believe His Majesty would take the side of a murderer!”