Zhù Ying met with Deputy Director Yin from the Ministry of Personnel and a Deputy Director Dong from the Ministry of Rites. Since she had submitted the petition and was selecting personnel for the Court of Judicial Review, the other two came to the Court to discuss matters with her.
Upon arriving at the Court of Judicial Review, the two men were enthusiastically shown to a clean room by a pair of junior clerks. The room was immaculate and fragrant with incense. Zhù Ying came forward to greet them with proper courtesy and invited them to be seated. The chairs were remarkably comfortable, fitted with soft cushions. The weather had already grown quite cold, making this detail all the more considerate. The tea was excellent and still hot, served with none of the awkward emptiness of a bare cup, and accompanied by exquisite refreshments.
Zhù Ying understood that the selection of officials was an entirely different matter from that of clerks, and that she especially needed to show deference to the Ministry of Personnel — otherwise, the Ministry would find no shortage of ways to create obstacles in the future.
She therefore let the two men take the lead first, saying of herself: “I am still young and inexperienced.”
Deputy Director Yin had harbored a small grievance earlier, but seeing her humility, his displeasure eased somewhat. Deputy Director Dong had been dragged along and, since his own superior the Minister had reservations about selecting female officials, he had resolved to do only what was necessary — not to exert himself or ingratiate himself beyond what was required.
Yet he was no match for Zhù Ying’s gift for flattery, honed in the manner of a fortune-teller’s trade. A fortune-teller must tell the wealthy man’s stout son: “What a strapping, manly figure!” and tell the merchant’s quick little daughter: “So clever — she is sure to be a natural at managing a household.”
For these two, she said of herself that her learning was not refined: “I have only recently begun taking examinations — how could I possibly compose proper test questions? I leave everything to the two of you.”
The two men gradually relaxed. Deputy Director Yin and Deputy Director Dong slowly began to talk over each other, while Zhù Ying stirred the fire from the middle. Whatever either of them said, she would respond: “That is quite sensible! What else? You ask me to be the judge between you — I’ve handled some legal cases these past two years and understand that much, but in matters of scholarship I still fall short. If you don’t speak more and teach me, how am I to understand the deeper meaning behind any given line?”
Deputy Directors Yin and Dong had originally intended to simply adopt the selection standards for scholars, lower the requirements slightly, and be done with it. A ninth-rank position counted as an official post after all — calligraphy, a little classical history, a little legal knowledge. That would suffice. But Zhù Ying meddled from the middle and managed to nudge the content away from the usual scholar-examination questions and slightly toward practical affairs.
She still wanted to push further for more practical content.
Zhù Ying said: “Both of you make excellent points, and I’ll leave the examination papers entirely to your judgment. There is only one matter — they won’t need to handle corpses, but at the very least they can’t be afraid of the dark, can they? This is a prison, after all! And they won’t need to lift heavy objects, but they ought to be able to run and move quickly. Can they walk on their own from the palace gate to the Court of Judicial Review? In the event of a major court ceremony, can they stand for an entire day? If we select the wrong people and embarrass ourselves, I’ll suffer for it too.”
With representatives from two ministries involved, she had no way to do everything according to her own wishes. Even for the final candidates selected, Deputy Director Yin’s opinion would have to carry half the weight — she could only devise ways to raise the threshold.
Deputy Director Yin, being somewhat familiar with her by now, remarked: “Sanlang, are you determined to make yourself a little King of Hell? You have no tenderness for these ladies whatsoever!”
Zhù Ying replied: “I’m a plain sort of person — I just need people who can handle the work. If the work is done well, everything else is negotiable. If it isn’t, they can all leave! Though naturally, their future appointments will rest with your Ministry of Personnel, so I must choose carefully from the start — whoever is selected must be capable of doing the job.”
Deputy Director Yin thought to himself: I’ll just select you a delicate young miss!
Even he knew that was impossible. What true delicate young miss would want to be a prison warden?
Deputy Director Dong said: “There must be no disgracing of scholars.”
Zhù Ying smiled: “What I mean is this — we lengthen the walking route from the entrance to the examination hall, have them take a few extra turns, walk for half a shichen first before anything else. Then arrange another test of some kind — it doesn’t much matter what — just have them stand for a while longer. Those who faint will be given one guan of cash and sent home to rest.”
Deputy Director Yin thought to himself: You stick a tail on a human and you’d have a monkey outright!
Yet he agreed to it.
Deputy Director Dong had no strong objections either, and said: “That will do.”
Zhù Ying said: “Then it’s settled. As for the examination papers, I’ll leave those entirely to the two of you. I’ll go and arrange a venue from the Metropolitan Prefecture. Bring them in.”
Two junior clerks appeared, each carrying a tray. Each tray held a set of the four treasures of the scholar’s studio — fine writing materials from the best stationery shops in the capital. They were not the most extravagant, but were the sort of things one would hesitate over before allowing oneself the expense. Beside them was a lacquered box, kept closed, evidently from one of the city’s incense shops — likely of comparable value.
Both men said: “What is this for?” And both smiled with somewhat more sincerity.
Zhù Ying said: “Although the two of you came under orders, you are ultimately doing the Court of Judicial Review a favor — and helping me preserve face. My thanks, and my gratitude. Neither of you is the sort who lacks such things, but this is a small token of regard from the Court. We can’t have people saying that the Court of Judicial Review is the sort of place that stirs up trouble and lets others toil for nothing in return.”
She understood that these two — particularly the one from the Ministry of Personnel — genuinely had no great need for such things and could easily afford to purchase them themselves. But whether they received them or not was another matter entirely. Some gesture had to be made, to give people one less reason to speak ill, and so that next time she stirred up another scheme, there would be someone willing to cooperate.
She calculated precisely: if two offices were engaged in regular correspondence and official business with one another, that was mutual accommodation — the natural accumulation of goodwill. But when one party initiated something extraordinary, some additional gesture toward the individuals involved was required. Without it, future collaboration would be far more difficult.
Deputy Directors Yin and Dong exchanged a glance. They could not quite say they were won over, but each thought somewhat better of her. Deputy Director Yin in particular no longer dwelt on such “details” as “not having been invited a third time” — pressing the matter further served no purpose.
He said: “The matter of the examination venue, then, we leave to Sanlang. Set the date early, and once the applications come in, we’ll need to verify identities and arrange the examinations. Though we’ve been told to finalize everything before the year’s end, in my view, settling on the candidates by the tenth month would be ideal. They’ll still need to learn court etiquette.”
Zhù Ying said: “Understood, as you say. Older Brother Dong, do you have any further arrangements?”
Deputy Director Dong shook his head: “Court etiquette is absolutely essential! Their backgrounds must be spotless! Minister Zhong is already displeased by unnecessary complications, and he places great weight on these matters.”
Zhù Ying said: “Understood.”
After seeing the two men off, she went to the Metropolitan Prefecture to request an examination venue.
The Metropolitan Prefecture was rather busy, yet Wang Yunhe still received Zhù Ying and asked her: “What brings you today?”
Zhù Ying replied cheerfully: “I’ve come to borrow a space again!”
Wang Yunhe smiled: “The space is available, but you’ll still need to do something in return.”
Zhù Ying smiled: “Am I sweeping floors or stoking fires?”
Wang Yunhe held up one finger: “From start to finish — I want to observe.”
“That was already agreed upon.”
Wang Yunhe held up a second finger: “They also want to select female constables. They’ve asked me to put in a word with you — help them keep an eye on things as well.” The selections for Wannian and the other counties were coming right after the Metropolitan Prefecture’s and were about to begin.
Zhù Ying said: “I’ll show them the process.”
Wang Yunhe said: “Then it’s settled. Once their matter is concluded, we’ll clear out the examination hall here. As it happens, the Metropolitan Prefecture’s female constables who are already fit for duty can serve as invigilators and runners in the meantime.”
So Zhù Ying was pulled in by Wannian, Chang’an, and the other counties to help oversee their process — essentially to review the procedure.
She moved the pulse-taking step to the end, and after the entire process was run through again at the Metropolitan Prefecture and had been further refined, Zhù Ying was ready to return to the Court of Judicial Review and attend to her remaining duties. First, she needed to review the applications of women registering for the position of female clerk. Second, she had the ongoing daily affairs of the Court — official business to be cleared each day, along with miscellaneous duties.
The applicants’ particulars were reviewed jointly by herself, Deputy Directors Yin and Dong, with all three signing off. They could only examine what was written on the surface: place of origin, age, registered household, and the names of three generations of paternal ancestors. Where each person actually lived was unknown and not easily investigated — so long as the paper documents appeared sound, the signature was given. Contrary to Deputy Director Yin’s expectations, several “delicate young misses” had actually applied, including one whose father had held a sixth-rank official post — though he had unfortunately already passed away.
Once the review was complete, a notice was posted publicly, announcing the names of those who had passed. This single step alone caused three of the applicants to withdraw — their names hung on a wall for all to point at and discuss?
The examination was scheduled for the sixteenth through the eighteenth day of the tenth month — three days of testing. Since the final tally came to over a hundred examinees, Zhù Ying had no choice but to coordinate with Wang Yunhe again to add additional examination halls on short notice, and to requisition another supply of paper and brushes as a reserve.
Wang Yunhe was astonished: “Are there really this many women applying for the position of female court clerk?”
Zhù Ying said: “Perhaps because a successful candidate becomes an official?”
Wang Yunhe said: “In any case, we absolutely cannot be careless about this. I will personally oversee this matter — and you must be equally thorough on your end.”
“Yes.”
What neither of them knew was that some families had calculated that passing the examination would make their daughters easier to marry off — “Even if she passes and doesn’t actually take the position as a prison warden, what of it?” But that was a matter for later. Since there had never been “female officials” of this kind before, neither a man as experienced as Wang Yunhe nor someone as shrewd as Zhù Ying had anticipated that such a consideration might even exist. Wang Yunhe, if he were marrying off a daughter, would have had no need of such a scheme; and Zhù Ying had never given the matter any thought at all.
While the two of them were occupied with this, Zhù Ying, watching the situation threaten to eat into what she considered “the Court’s real business,” seized every opportunity between examination preparations to slip away and arrange the Court of Judicial Review’s supply of firewood and charcoal for the coming winter.
Heating was a necessity that ran through the entire winter and extended into late autumn and early spring. The slightest negligence, and the bitter cold would scrape at people like a blade day after day, making plain that someone had been remiss in their duties.
The Court’s fuel supply came from several sources: a portion allocated from above — which accounted for the bulk — a portion produced by the Court’s own charcoal-burning, and, if those proved insufficient, additional purchases made with cash on hand. The latter two options required a relatively well-funded office and a willing senior official to make them happen.
Zhù Ying first had to evaluate the proportions of these three sources carefully: drawing on last year’s accounts, she estimated how much charcoal would be allocated this year and how it was to be requisitioned. Then she had to plan where the charcoal should be stored and how it would be preserved and transported. She also needed to arrange for their own charcoal-burning — having never been involved in that process before, she decided she should go and observe how it was done. Charcoal came in several grades: some of the finest produced almost no smoke, while inferior varieties had a pungent odor and burned poorly. Finally, she needed to set aside a sum of money specifically for emergency purchases when the other two sources fell short.
There was also the question of how charcoal should be distributed within the Court of Judicial Review itself. Allocation by rank went without saying — Zheng Xi would certainly receive the best and the most — but what about the others? Zhù Ying had the audacity to calculate the senior officials’ usage carefully rather than indiscriminately purchasing too much premium charcoal and wasting it. A little saved on the senior officials could, when converted to ordinary charcoal, provide quite comfortable warmth for several of the junior clerks and lower-ranking staff.
Once the planning was complete, she proceeded to personally inspect the storage facilities. Fuel could not be stockpiled too heavily within the palace city, so each department maintained warehouses outside as well. Some of these were permanent holdings, others were rented on a temporary basis. After some consideration, Zhù Ying divided the Court’s charcoal supply for the year between two storage locations — one inside the city, one outside — so that if one were to suffer an accident, the other could still provide. She also made arrangements for a charcoal kiln, so that if both locations failed, they could burn charcoal on demand and still guarantee supply.
The inner-city storage facility was inherited from previous arrangements — she needed only to inspect its safety. Next came the task of going outside the city to find a suitable outer storage site and to arrange the kiln — but at that point, Magistrate Liu of Wannian County arrived uninvited at her home.
Since Zhù Ying had other pressing matters, she had firmly declined to attend the county selections in person after helping them set up the procedures. Even Wannian’s magistrate had been persistent — after sending a formal invitation that Zhù Ying politely refused, he actually showed up at her door in casual dress!
The Zhù household was accustomed to occasional visits from lower-ranking officials, but a “parent official” of their district was a first. Zhù Da and Zhang Xiangu were both a little nervous. Zhù Da said from inside the room: “A present official is worth more than a past one — we must receive him well.” Zhang Xiangu said: “Let’s go out and greet him once, then leave Old Third to handle him. What if we say something wrong?” The two of them had no such fear of saying the wrong thing when dealing with their equal Jin Liang, yet before Magistrate Liu they were filled with trepidation.
Having agreed on this, the two of them came out to receive Magistrate Liu. Zhù Da, somewhat flustered, said: “The magistrate has business with Sanlang — we had best get out of his way.” He and Zhang Xiangu nudged each other along and made their way, shoulder to shoulder, back to the main room.
Magistrate Liu took a careful look around the courtyard. There was no shortage of officials renting accommodation in the capital. But a young official who was the sole pillar of a family bearing a father’s honorary title — and who gave the main rooms to his parents while living in a side room himself — was rather less common. He thought to himself that this “little King of Hell” reputation Zhù Ying had earned seemed at odds with what he saw before him. There was something commendable about the person, after all.
He then noticed that the one who came out to heat water and steep tea was Du Dajie, and that in this compact courtyard, visible at a glance from end to end, there was no male servant to be seen, nor any carriage or horse — which gave him even more cause for reflection. Rather than first buying himself a manservant, she had put her family’s needs first.
Yet Zhù Ying managed so many affairs at the Court of Judicial Review and was quick enough to turn a profit when desired — so it was also possible this was all a performance. Magistrate Liu thought: I’ll need to observe further before drawing conclusions. But then again — he wasn’t her colleague. Why was he observing her at all? He only needed her help with this one matter, and then they could be on their way. They were merely on cordial terms, nothing more.
When he entered the west side-room, Zhù Ying’s bedroom was half-open. The furnishings inside were not extravagant — even somewhat spare — yet there was a distinctive sense of comfort about them, even a certain gentle warmth. Nothing was lacking in the way of furniture and effects; everything one might expect was present, and it had all been arranged with a certain thoughtfulness. A few vases held fresh flowers. A porcelain basin held two goldfish. There were two sets of curtain hangings, and the partition between the bedroom and the study was still in the multi-panel style, displaying various curious objects — not antiques, but an assortment of interesting things: bamboo and wood carvings, grass-woven pieces, ceramics, each with its own distinctive character.
The north-facing room was a study. Along the wall stood a row of bookshelves, filled entirely with books.
The whole residence could not be called especially refined or elegant, but it was clearly the home of someone who lived with intention.
Magistrate Liu thought to himself: Ah, so the money has all gone into books. I am ashamed of myself — how narrow-minded I have been.
Tea was brought out, and the quality was actually quite good. Magistrate Liu said: “Excellent tea!”
Zhù Ying laughed: “I don’t know much about tea myself — I swiped this from Deputy Director Leng. Hearing you say it’s good, I’ll have to go and swipe some more tomorrow!”
Magistrate Liu heard this and forgot about continuing his observations of Zhù Ying. He hurried to say: “Tomorrow, spare Deputy Director Leng for a moment! Do me a favor first, will you?”
Zhù Ying said: “Why stand on ceremony with me?”
Magistrate Liu said: “It’s not ceremony, not at all. I wrote you a formal invitation and you didn’t agree, so I had no choice but to come in person!”
Zhù Ying said: “If it’s about that particular matter, I haven’t held anything back.”
“Sanlang misunderstands me — that isn’t what I meant. It’s just that this matter genuinely requires your personal presence.”
Zhù Ying said: “That’s a strange thing to say, Magistrate Liu. Why would it require me and no one else?”
In the end, the Magistrate of Wannian County spoke plainly: “Just come and take a look — you don’t need to do anything else. If there’s any cheating, help us catch it. And — I’ll make it worth your while!”
Zhù Ying was caught between laughter and exasperation, and could only say: “Fine.”
A magistrate who puts in real effort is a good thing — far better than assembling a group of delicate, simpering women who do nothing but tug at each other’s hair ornaments and scheme.
By the time the county female constable selections were all concluded, Zhù Ying had rushed through several different venues. The results left her reasonably satisfied — all of them appeared to be steady, reliable types.
With this little diversion behind her, Zhù Ying needed to press ahead with her own affairs all the more urgently.
She changed into plain clothes and first made her way around the city to listen to what people were saying, then sought out intermediaries for introductions. She had a few locations in mind and had inquired about prices, but nothing had been finalized yet. Next, she went outside the city to conduct her own inspection. As it turned out, there was no shortage of warehouses outside the capital, and after looking for several days she still could not settle on a satisfactory one.
Because of the enormous concentration of people and goods in the capital, consumption there was staggering, and new supplies arrived every day. The warehouses within the city were not sufficient to hold everything, so only valuable and compact goods were kept inside — the bulk of storage was actually conducted outside the city walls. Perishable items that were fresh that day were brought in daily, while all other goods were transported from the outer warehouses to replenish the smaller inner-city stores whenever those began to run low.
The Grand Granary Office, where Zhù Ying had once gone to draw grain rations when she first became an official, actually kept a substantial portion of its stores in warehouses outside the city walls, to be transferred in as needed.
Official institutions followed this pattern; ordinary people did the same. The reason the Court of Judicial Review had not reconsidered its winter fuel storage arrangements until Zhù Ying came along was that previously they had simply gone to collect supplies every few days and stored them on-site. The bulk of the fuel allocated by the court was not kept in the city either — it was held outside, to be transported in and distributed to each department when the time came. This meant departments did not need to think too much about storage. Privately purchased charcoal followed the same logic.
Zhù Ying wanted to inspect the outer warehouses because she was thorough — she wanted extra contingency plans.
The court’s storage facilities were purpose-built warehouses with their own custodial staff. Others might own their own warehouses and freight yards, or might find it more economical to rent space from others as needed. Warehouses and freight yards came in many varieties, organized by the origin of goods, direction of transport, and type of merchandise. There were even enclosures for livestock, complete with hay — at a fee, naturally.
The weather was growing colder by the day, and she still had to carve out time to run outside the city walls. Zhang Xiangu’s heart ached for her: “What business is it that has you braving the cold like this in the middle of winter? When we were poor, you still had to run about in the cold for work — but now you’re an official, and you’re still out here running errands?”
Hua Jie also asked: “Does the Court have a case like this?”
Zhù Ying said: “I’m looking to rent a place to store firewood and charcoal.”
Hua Jie said: “The Wen family has one.”
“Oh?”
“They can’t compare to someone like Director Zheng, but the Wen family is still considered well-off by capital standards — they must have some assets.” Hua Jie had become quite familiar with the mother and daughter-in-law who managed the Wen household, and knew more about the Wen family’s holdings than Zhù Ying did. In their idle conversations, it had come up that the Wen family had certain properties: apart from two shops in the city for rent, a residence, and farmland outside the city, they also owned two warehouse facilities outside the city walls, likewise available for rent.
This was among Wen Yue’s assets. A warehouse required nothing more than a piece of land, a few rooms, and a handful of people to stand watch. The Wen family had the backing of the Zheng household, and since Wen Yue’s father had died young, both the Zheng household and his father’s old friends had looked after the family — there was no need to worry too much about anyone causing trouble. For a widow and her child, the income from the properties was quite substantial.
Hua Jie said: “I heard them mention it — they were talking about renovating the warehouse and having a well dug as a precaution against fire. I asked about it then. Given how careful they are about it, I’d imagine the place is decent enough.”
Zhù Ying said: “Then I’ll quietly go and take a look.”
After inspecting it and finding it acceptable, she ultimately decided that there was no point in letting good opportunities go to outsiders. She rented Wen Yue’s family freight yard outside the city as the storage location. When she arrived at the Wen household in person, Wen Yue saw her arrive carrying four parcels of refreshments and laughed: “Sanlang, here to make mischief again.”
Zhù Ying raised the parcels wrapped in paper, smiling: “I’m so polite about it — how can you call it making mischief? I’ve come to ask a favor.”
Wen Yue said: “What is it?”
Zhù Ying smiled: “The Court of Judicial Review needs to buy some charcoal, and we’re short on storage space.”
“But the Court already has its own warehouse!” Wen Yue said. “Just west of the West Market. And besides, every department draws supplies every five to ten days — you don’t need a large storage space for that.”
Zhù Ying said: “I worked it out — in past years, the charcoal allocation was comfortable enough for the senior officials at the top, but the further down you went, the tighter it was. It wouldn’t freeze anyone to death — they’d still have it better than ordinary families outside — but it was simply uncomfortable. I’m planning to purchase some charcoal on top of what’s allocated, or hire people to burn some ourselves. We’ll need a new storage facility, and there’s not enough time to arrange one from scratch now, so for this year, renting will have to do.”
Wen Yue said: “No wonder everyone in the Court of Judicial Review speaks so well of you! Just recently they were even asking me to forgive their monthly penalty — saying they’d never dare again. I told them: Sanlang is always very generous with people; if you’ve had your pay docked, you must have done something wrong.”
Zhù Ying said: “They’re the ones making mischief! Some new people arrived — I understand new arrivals always have to work and endure some rough treatment at the same time. But with me watching their backs, they need to at least give me some face. Still, since Big Brother put in a word, let’s find a middle ground — what do you think?”
“What kind of middle ground? Give them half a month’s pay?”
Zhù Ying smiled cheerfully: “Not a single day’s worth do they get from me. But since it’s turned cold, fresh flowers aren’t cheap in the marketplace. Sending a little money back to their wives at home to buy flowers to wear — fresh or silk, a hundred coins each to take home — that comes out to about the same as a full month’s meal allowance anyway.”
“What about those without a wife?”
Zhù Ying blinked: “Those with a mother at home count too. Those with a daughter count as well. Those with none of the above — well, they get nothing!”
Wen Yue said: “You’re always up to something! As if you’d really not give them anything. But as for my own premises — I can’t rent them to you. I already have a long-term tenant contracted. At the Duanwu banquet at the manor, all of us were together before Seventh Young Master — though you’ve only been in the capital a short while, we’ve gotten acquainted through circumstance, and it wouldn’t be right if you didn’t spend time with them as well. Let me give you a suggestion: I’ll act as your introducer and take you to meet Shao Shuxin. He has a freight yard too! And he’s done the Court a favor before — isn’t that a convenient coincidence?”
Zhù Ying said: “I’d need to look at the place first.”
“Go right ahead! But do move quickly — that yard of his was also under a long-term contract until recently. Unfortunately, the old landlord of that contract passed away, and his several sons fell to quarreling over the inheritance, so the business collapsed. Which means the contract lapsed too. Shao is a man of figures, and working in the Ministry of Finance, he’ll never be short of tenants — so you’d better be quick.”
The very next day, Zhù Ying followed the address and located Shao Shuxin’s freight yard. One look and one conversation later, it seemed comparable to the Wen family’s. It was not far from the Wen family’s freight yard either, and the road was passable.
She then turned back and asked Wen Yue to act as go-between and introduce her to Shao Shuxin.
Shao Shuxin was someone Zhù Ying had met before. She had not taken the initiative to approach him in the past because she had seen that he was a deeply guarded person — not the sort one could befriend without considerable effort. Previously, she had neither the time nor any particular reason to cultivate an acquaintance with someone she thought of primarily as “an accountant.”
Now that the opportunity had presented itself, she prepared a careful gift and went with Wen Yue to call on him.
Shao Shuxin had been betrayed by a superior in the past, which made his wariness entirely understandable. Still, he and Wen Yue were fairly well acquainted — it was Wen Yue whom Director Zheng had sent to round up a few men to protect Shao Shuxin during that affair. Though Wen Yue lacked the seniority of someone like Jin Liang, he was a considerate young man, and Shao Shuxin’s impression of him was reasonably good.
Once host and guests were seated, Shao Shuxin heard Wen Yue explain the purpose of their visit, and said: “You’re here to send me money? On the Court of Judicial Review’s public account?”
Zhù Ying said: “I needed a warehouse, you happen to have a space — it would be rather contrived to go out of my way to avoid you. Why look for a stranger whose background I know nothing about, when I could go to someone I know? Con artists always put on a more dazzling front than honest people. The young women drawn in by those honeytrap schemes are far more captivating than anyone raised at home.”
Wen Yue couldn’t help laughing: “I knew you were trouble!”
A faint smile appeared on Shao Shuxin’s face too: “Very well then — let’s look at the premises first, then draw up a contract. As for the accounting…”
Zhù Ying said: “I’ve already looked at the place — otherwise I wouldn’t be here. And as for the accounts, you could half be called my teacher in that regard. Why would I humiliate myself?”
Shao Shuxin said: “We still need to look it over together. And besides, are you the only one handling the accounts at the Court of Judicial Review? Any accounts you process should have a dedicated bookkeeper review them — not just one person, but two or three, so they can check each other…”
He went on at some length, and Zhù Ying listened patiently to the end. Only when he finished did she say: “Shall we start now? As for the custodians, I’ll leave those for you to find — you know the freight yard trade better than I do.”
Shao Shuxin said: “Agreed.”
The warehouse rental was settled, and the examination for the female court clerks began.
Aside from the two supervisors having changed, most other aspects were similar to the previous selection — including a number of senior officials who came in plain dress to observe. The examination differed from the earlier selection: there were several separate examination halls, and the senior officials did not enter, watching only from the corridors and windows.
This time, the examination monitors were female constables transferred from the Metropolitan Prefecture and various counties, all dressed in identical uniforms, standing ramrod straight and stiffly.
Director Zheng glanced at these female constables and thought to himself: They look about on par with the ones at the Court of Judicial Review.
He then looked at the examinees. Several had fair, delicate features. Even those who were less striking had a certain bookish, earnest quality about them.
He asked Zhù Ying: “Why are the numbers slightly off?”
Zhù Ying said: “Some lost their nerve when the notice was posted and didn’t come to take the examination. Just now, several more didn’t manage to make it — just a few steps of walking, and they collapsed. They were disqualified too.”
Director Zheng asked again: “You mentioned there was an official’s daughter?”
Zhù Ying said: “Yes — in Hall A, third row across, third seat down, that one. Her surname is Wu, given name Xiang. Her father was formerly a Deputy Director in the Ministry of Works — he passed away some time ago. Her mother has grown accustomed to life in the capital and doesn’t wish to return to their hometown. She is an only child, so she needs to stay and look after her mother.”
Leng Yun strolled over: “Wu Xiang? Rather an ambitious name.”
Zhù Ying said: “Her father had aspirations.”
Leng Yun smiled: “Cheeky. Are there others?”
“Yes. The one behind Wu Xiang as well. Her father was a ninth-rank official, promoted from a clerical post. Surname Fang, given name Jiu.”
The Minister of Time asked: “There are out-of-towners too, I take it?”
Zhù Ying said: “The Minister has a sharp eye — indeed there are. There are more applicants from the Metropolitan District, but out-of-towners in total number twenty-three. I hadn’t anticipated so many would come to sit this examination. They’ve been assigned seats in the examination halls by the stroke count of their surnames and are seated in mixed order.”
The senior officials present were not particularly invested in the outcome of this examination. After a brief look around, having noted Wang Yunhe’s involvement and judging that nothing could go wrong under his watch, they offered only the instruction: “If there are any outstanding papers, leave them for us to look at” — and then all departed. Only Wang Yunhe, accompanied by the various county magistrates, watched from the very beginning to the very end.
And it was after the very first session that Zhù Ying noticed something was wrong.
There are certain things one cannot understand without being directly involved in them. And there are certain things that, the moment a person is placed in a position of responsibility, they feel without being told.
When the first examination session ended, Zhù Ying said to Wang Yunhe: “Director Wang, I was wrong about something.”
“Oh?!”
“Please have twenty scribes sent over. I also need paper.”
“What for?”
“To transcribe the examination papers — and cover the candidates’ names so that only what they’ve written is visible.”
Wang Yunhe frowned, then suddenly said: “Brilliant! Sealed name examination? Where did you get this idea?”
Zhù Ying said: “I only want people who can do the work. But what was everyone asking and discussing just now? The candidates’ identities have already been verified — which means all of these women have the right to be considered. From this point on, all that should matter is their scholarship and ability. The threshold has been set; once they’ve passed through the gate, should we still be looking for reasons to drive them back out? That won’t do — it simply won’t do!”
When she herself had sat examinations, she had been too absorbed to notice anything. Now that she was administering one and needed “people who could do the work,” she suddenly saw the flaws in the process. Not only the senior officials — just now, Deputy Directors Dong and Yin, while making their rounds of inspection, had shown obvious favoritism toward a few daughters of officials. In principle, they hadn’t wanted official daughters mixed up in this sort of thing at all, yet here these women were, walking this very path. If they truly had to make a selection…
Zhù Ying swept her gaze across the scene and felt a growing discomfort. Seizing the moment when the two deputy directors were uneasy in front of Wang Yunhe and had slipped away to inspect other examination halls, she shared her thoughts with Wang Yunhe. Whether it would come to anything was another matter — if she exposed her inadequacies before Wang Yunhe, so be it. At the very worst, he would simply decline to adopt the idea. In practical matters, Director Wang was a reliable man.
She said: “That isn’t reviewing papers — it’s reviewing names. What’s the point of that?”
Wang Yunhe said: “Interesting.”
Zhù Ying ventured: “So… shall we…”
Wang Yunhe said: “Let me think about it.”
Zhù Ying was instantly seized by cold alarm: I was too impulsive! There is no substitute for the wisdom of age! Everything had been agreed upon in advance, and I nearly changed it all on a moment’s impulse. Setting aside whether it could be done, inviting criticism was already a certainty. If it could be arranged, fine — if it couldn’t, there would be serious consequences.
She had been standing outside the examination hall — without even having the authority to decide who would be selected — and come up with the idea of sealed name examination. The moment the words left her mouth she already sensed the misstep.
She said to Wang Yunhe: “Director Wang — I spoke out of turn.”
Wang Yunhe said: “The words themselves aren’t wrong. A right thing said at the wrong moment becomes wrong. Young people have fire in them — that fire should not be worn away. It should be kept deep inside, waiting for the right moment. Can you tell now when the right moment is?”
Zhù Ying said: “I have a vague sense of it.”
Wang Yunhe said: “Mm.”
Zhù Ying reflected further: This time, Director Wang is here. But what if he weren’t? What if he had taken offense? Have I truly read him well enough to be certain? I must keep my mouth shut, think three times before speaking, and three times before acting. And then the thought: I have been placing too much trust in Director Wang…
She extended the logic further and found that the people she trusted had grown rather numerous — nothing at all like when she had been at home, where she kept her own counsel and simply acted on it. Yet each of the people she could trust had genuinely earned it, and she began to understand how it was that “there are always fools who, desperately needed by a great villain, are willing to serve as his hired muscle” — perhaps it wasn’t always foolishness or a lack of options. She also began to understand how “there are always foolish rulers deceived by treacherous ministers” and how “a good person can have such a glaring flaw in one they are close to.”
Wang Yunhe watched her drift about in a daze from one examination hall to the next, here and there offering a quiet reminder to a candidate who had smudged her paper and handing her a clean sheet. He thought to himself: Truly exceptional talent.
When the first day ended, Wang Yunhe did not leave immediately. Even after the papers were collected, he remained talking with Zhù Ying. The other two wished they could sprout wings and be gone. Wang Yunhe said to them: “You still need to return to your offices?”
Both said hastily: “The Director perceives it exactly.”
“Go quickly then — a female court clerk is no great matter for them; they won’t wait specially for you.”
The two of them left as if pardoned, in great haste.
Zhù Ying said: “They left rather quickly — as though the names had already been sealed and the papers transcribed.”
“There are no sealed names or transcribed papers — what are you still doing here?”
“Learning from you, of course!”
“They have no wish to learn from me,” Wang Yunhe said, and there was a hint of pride in his voice, tinged with a quiet sadness. “Nor could they.”
Only when all the papers were secured and Wang Yunhe had seen the boxes properly sealed and locked did he bring Zhù Ying to his study, saying: “A scholar born of modest means is still a scholar. You have a scholar’s heart and a scholar’s conduct — that is good. But you are young, and still need to be more grounded. Your learning is also insufficient!”
Wang Yunhe rarely spoke so bluntly to Zhù Ying. Having nearly caused a serious mistake, she was meek as a cat that has broken a porcelain vase. Wang Yunhe said: “A hundred benefits must be secured before the law is changed — this is not merely said for nothing! Where has all your classical learning gone?! Young people always think old men are timid, but what they don’t know is that throughout history, no reform has ever gone without causing deaths. The most outstanding are always the first ones sacrificed — do you think that is glorious? Only those who succeed are glorious. Those who fail are nothing but disorder. Count the dynasties — which one has been without disorder?”
Zhù Ying became even more subdued.
Wang Yunhe continued: “You should know this better than anyone. Great families with vast wealth can afford the finest teachers and the luxury of single-minded study — to say nothing of those with generations of family learning behind them, whose numbers are beyond counting. Look at your own Director Zheng — is he not ten times the scholar of anyone else?
It is simply easier for people like them to learn better. It is even more so for women. A family of ten thousand can set aside a hundred for their children’s education; a family of only a hundred will put that entire hundred toward the sons’ education. There are those who dote on their daughters too — but they are few. Examine any county, prefecture, or entire nation, and the pattern holds. Just for this one examination — sealed or unsealed, transcribed or not — the outcome will not change.
The problem is not this single examination. The problem is what comes after. You acted on impulse, and scholars of modest backgrounds will see it and be stirred with hope, begin to imagine possibilities — and then what? Do you know what the Ministries of Rites and Personnel will do? How many obstacles lie in between? You launch ideas on a sudden whim without having thought them through — that is not the mind required to sustain a state! You have served as an official for years — surely you know that even the Emperor cannot act this way! You are self-satisfied, self-congratulatory, and overestimating yourself!”
“Yes!”
Wang Yunhe saw her composure was perfectly intact, and having finished his scolding, he changed his expression and said: “Come — let me tell you about this court, and show you how to read history.”
Wang Yunhe was the Metropolitan Prefect, but not of the ordinary regional variety. As the Metropolitan Prefect, he was very nearly “half a Prime Minister,” and his perspective surpassed even that of Zheng Xi at this point in time. With his guidance, of course things were different.
In fact, he had already touched on what mattered.
Zhù Ying listened in silence for a long while, then said: “So the emperor is also simply a position — isn’t that right?”
“Lower your voice!”
“Yes!” How much more interesting it became when combined with the concept of ritual governance…
Zhù Ying asked again: “As for reform — it means the time has ripened, correct?”
“A right thing said at the wrong moment is still wrong. A wrong thing said at the right moment is an even greater mistake.”
“Yes.”