Rain drifted down from the sky. Zhù Ying was standing under the eaves of the county yamen watching the rain when she received Su Yuan’s visiting card.

The post house keeper had accompanied Su Yuan’s attendant to deliver the card.

Zhù Ying had already heard of this from Zhao Su and was not surprised. She gestured for them to come stand under the eaves, out of the rain. The visiting card was slightly soft from the damp of the rain, but when she opened it, it was still written in Zhao Su’s handwriting.

“Brother Tree” said, “Little Sister spoke to the chieftain, and the chieftain agreed to the exchange of bondservants.”

Zhù Ying smiled pleasantly. “Wonderful. Thank you for Su Niangzi’s trouble in making the trip. I’ll personally go and call on Su Niangzi to discuss the details.”

“Brother Tree” looked at her and seemed about to say something, then stopped himself. Zhù Ying said, “If you have something to say, feel free to speak.”

“Brother Tree” thought: Exchange what bondservants? You have no idea how much effort Little Sister put in, and how many people she offended.

He shook his head. “Nothing. Let the county magistrate speak with Little Sister.”

Zhù Ying said, “Very well.” She had Xiao Wu take a card to see Su Yuan and indicate that she would call on Su Yuan at the post house the next day.

She had already spoken with the gentry. She would pay the market price to buy mountain-peoples bondservants from the gentry’s households; if there were bondservants who had been with the gentry for a long time and had “acclimated,” and who didn’t wish to leave themselves, she wouldn’t force them. She would only require that these bondservants be allowed to meet once with their families and then make their own decision. Of course, in many cases, the bondservants’ family members might well be untraceable. The transaction at this point only covered one clan of the Qixia people — the Asu family of the Asu clan.

As for the bondservants that Su Yuan had on hand — however many there were, she would make every effort to exchange for them all. And the price for these would not be the mountain-valley “market price.”

The next day, Zhù Ying brought Qi Tai, Administrator Guan, and others to the post house. The post house was fairly quiet. Su Yuan had not brought the main contingent of bondservants on this visit — they needed to first agree on everything, and then, following the same procedure as the oxen-and-horses arrangement, the two sides would make the exchange at the border point. It wasn’t something that could be done in a single moment just by saying “exchange.”

There were also the complexities of tallying numbers, verifying origins, and so on. The Qixia clan had no writing system, making the task even more involved.

Xiao Wu held up a large umbrella of dark-yellow oiled silk behind Zhù Ying. Su Yuan’s gaze was drawn to the umbrella — she watched the rainwater trace the arc of its surface and fall in a stream from the tip of each rib. Zhù Ying looked at Su Yuan, and saw that this young woman was still full of vitality and spirit; she thought she was the capable sort.

They went inside and sat facing each other. Zhù Ying spoke first. “Su Niangzi has traveled all this way — you’ve had a long journey.”

Su Yuan said, “It wasn’t long. I won’t waste the county magistrate’s time with pleasantries — I’m willing to do the exchange, but the terms need to change somewhat.”

Zhù Ying said pleasantly, “How would they change?”

Su Yuan said, “I don’t know how many bondservants you have from our side. There are probably fewer than the ones we have from your side. Whatever the excess, do you still want them?”

Zhù Ying said without hesitation, “I’ll take them all.”

Su Yuan said, “Then those extra ones will need to be exchanged for something else — not people. I’ll also give you my word: I won’t continue raiding people from your county.”

Zhù Ying said, “What do you want to exchange?”

Su Yuan had clearly come prepared. The list she laid out was very detailed — mostly goods that required skilled craftwork, and a portion that included luxury items. She said, “Whatever is on the list — if you have it and it can be traded, any of it is fine.”

Zhù Ying took the list and looked through it. It included gold, pearls, jade, lacquerware, and glassware; also porcelain — with the porcelain specified by vessel type, such as wine vessels and dining sets. There were also wooden farming implements like seeder carts and wooden plows. Zhù Ying pointed to that category and said, “Why do you want these? Don’t you have carpenters? You’d be better off exchanging something else.”

Su Yuan said, “I want these.”

“All right.”

Su Yuan lowered her voice slightly. “Bondservants from other families are not ones we want. They’d be of no use to us.” What she really wanted, if it were possible, was to exchange for some skilled craftsmen from down the mountain — blacksmiths above all, who would be enormously useful in the settlement. She also wanted experienced farmers, but even her uncle-by-marriage wouldn’t allow farming families to be brought up the mountain. Her aunt had once sent several tenant households up to the settlement, which had sent her uncle-by-marriage into a towering rage; the two families had nearly cut ties completely, and only after the people were returned had the matter been resolved. She stopped making such attempts after that.

Zhù Ying said, “Agreed.”

She would have to rely on her authority over the gentry here, but looking at Su Yuan, she suspected Su Yuan had less smooth of a time commanding the Asu family than she did commanding Fulü County. Based on what Zhao Su had told her, Su Yuan still had four older brothers. So Zhù Ying always found herself wanting to ask Su Yuan: “Can you really make all the decisions on your own?”

Su Yuan added, “If you have an excess of people from our family, I’ll also exchange goods for them.”

Zhù Ying said, “Agreed.”

Then Su Yuan produced two lists. The characters were written in her own hand, crooked and uneven with a few wrong characters, but Zhù Ying had grown accustomed to reading Zhù Da’s and Zhang Xiangu’s handwriting and could work out the meaning.

The first list described the bondservants’ basic particulars — male and female, old and young, strong and frail. Some had small ink dots beside their names. Su Yuan said, “The ones with dots all say they are from your county. The ones without dots are not.” The dotted ones numbered thirty-three.

Zhù Ying read through from beginning to end: about two hundred or so in total. The number of Qixia bondservants she could produce was somewhat fewer than this, so she would need to supplement with other things.

Both sides were dealing in approximate numbers. For one thing, the language barriers made origins difficult to establish clearly. For another, there had been false reporting on both sides. When Su Yuan’s people were compiling the list, some bondservants, believing they were about to be bled as human sacrifices, denied being from Fulü County. Others, knowing this was an exchange for their freedom, claimed to be from Fulü County even if they weren’t.

On Zhù Ying’s side, she couldn’t clearly distinguish which “mountain peoples” clan each person belonged to — because she had only learned the Qixia language herself, and could only begin to sort out who was Qixia and who wasn’t. Others were even murkier. Some had been bondservants even before being brought down the mountain, and felt that the mountain-valley side treated bondservants better than the mountain side, so they refused to acknowledge their origins. When even the people themselves wouldn’t acknowledge it, their masters were equally happy to keep the labor, and those cases were the most impossible to untangle.

Zhù Ying didn’t manage this herself. She called Qi Tai over. “Master Qi.”

Qi Tai brought forward a list. On it were names: thirty-nine Qixia people in all, of whom twenty were under fifteen years old, and fifteen were under ten — the children of bondservants who had married and had families within the mountain-valley households.

“Brother Tree” came forward to face off against Qi Tai.

Both sides produced a list that appeared to be a detailed individual-by-individual accounting with ages and family relationships — though in truth both lists had considerable margin for error. They first compared the totals, and the matching numbers were offset against each other. Originally, the Fulü County–registered people that Su Yuan had on hand were fewer than the Qixia people that Zhù Ying had — but because Zhù Ying was taking all of Su Yuan’s, the balance tipped the other way and it was Zhù Ying who needed to provide additional goods to make up the difference. For this extra portion, Zhù Ying didn’t send Qi Tai in to haggle.

Qi Tai let out a great sigh of relief, snatched up the list, curled it into a scroll, and slipped back behind Zhù Ying’s chair. He wasn’t very coordinated, and left foot tripped right foot, nearly sending him sprawling — he only kept himself upright by grabbing Zhù Ying’s chair. He couldn’t even buy vegetables without getting overcharged; this kind of haggling over things with no fixed standard terrified him.

Zhù Ying said, “There are too many items on your list for the people alone to cover. Someone needs to work through the valuation carefully with you. I’ll have Zhao Su come as go-between, so you’re not shortchanged.”

Mountain-valley “fine craftsmanship” had entirely different prices inside the mountains and in the valleys — sky and earth. Selling into a settlement commanded a very high price; and it was for that reason that Zhù Ying was determined to keep Qi Tai out of it.

Su Yuan said, “Fine.”

The next day, with Zhao Su serving as go-between, on one side “Brother Tree,” on the other Administrator Guan with the market officer. Neither Zhù Ying nor Su Yuan appeared. Su Yuan went wandering through the county seat again, and also went outside to look at the fields. Zhù Ying let her look. She didn’t accompany her; Zhù Ying had her own fields to inspect.

Hou Wu stayed close to Zhù Ying. Watching her focus entirely on agricultural land and water control, he said with some unease, “Back in the border regions, we always guarded against northern peoples surveying things. First they want salt, iron, and grain, then they want to trade, then they’re looking everywhere — and they’re also marrying into mountain-valley families. By any measure it looks like someone preparing to raise troops.”

Zhù Ying said, “The two situations are different. When I first met Chieftain Asu, he’d already survived an assassination attempt. What I can see of their preparations is not directed at us — it’s directed at other ‘mountain peoples.’ There is no garrison in the county not because the court overlooked it, but because there is no need — the nearest garrison is in a neighboring county, and if something truly happened, they could be here quickly.” Zhao Su was still in the county, right under her eye. Elder Gu and the others could easily muster two or three hundred able-bodied men.

In all her inspections, the roads throughout the county were in reasonable order, and she saw no signs of large-scale disruption. The people had no grievances to voice either.

She had a clear picture of it all.

Hou Wu said, “Even so, sending a woman out to negotiate doesn’t seem right.”

Zhù Ying said, “That may actually be another reason they’re being so civil.” It was clear that Su Yuan’s capability was not feigned, and it was equally clear that there was considerable difficulty behind certain decisions Su Yuan had made, though she never mentioned it. The old chieftain’s health was declining, and there were four sons. When authority passes from one generation to the next, “external military achievement” might well be the ideal way for a new leader to establish their prestige — but any person with sense would typically choose to “secure the internal situation” first. Those without sense were less of a concern.

If the conditions were right, she’d very much like to go up the mountain and have a look herself.

After another three days of wrangling, the price was finally agreed upon. Having Zhao Su in the middle and struggling through the negotiations, both sides’ numbers were eventually reconciled. “Brother Tree” felt the mountain-valley goods were priced far too high — Su Yuan had clearly seen the going rate at the market; how could they mark it up several times over? Administrator Guan and the market officer explained that the items available at the market were in limited supply; if they were all bought up by outsiders, county residents who needed them couldn’t get them — that simply wouldn’t do, and so the price went up. This was how merchants always operated — when competition for a good was fierce, the price rose. Three days of argument, with Zhao Su unsatisfying both sides, before the price was finally settled. It was hard to imagine: a set of gold headpieces inlaid with precious stones could be exchanged for three households of bondservants. The mountain side wanted quite a variety of goods, and bondservants alone weren’t enough to cover all of it. Fortunately, Su Yuan had come prepared with two lists; the second one was the mountain’s own products.

This transaction was also conducted through the county yamen, not directly between ordinary merchants. The county yamen purchased these goods at market price from the market and resold them to the mountain side, earning the margin — the polite name for this margin was “tax.”

On the settlement side, Su Yuan dealt directly with Zhù Ying, and she also priced things at market value rather than using the collectors’ mountain-entry price. Since Zhù Ying’s primary objective was to resolve the people situation — exchange people for goods — and this pricing was transparent and handled through the county yamen, Zhù Ying was not coming out behind.

“Brother Tree” looked at his list and saw many items still unacquired, and felt very disappointed.

The two sides then agreed on the time for the exchange — ten days hence. The location was again the western township, the same spot as before.

“Brother Tree” and Su Yuan set off immediately. They needed to return, assemble the bondservants, prepare warehouses, arrange the escorting party, and so on.

Once outside the county seat, “Brother Tree” spoke to Su Yuan in the Qixia tongue. “Little Sister — since they’re willing to trade goods for people, why not do it again—” He made a gesture mimicking a hunting snare. “Make them bring more goods to exchange?”

Su Yuan hesitated a moment, then her expression became firm. “No. The Suoning family, the Liji clan — they’re already hard enough to manage. We don’t need more enemies. Making friends with the mountain-valley people is better than making enemies of them.”

“If this keeps up, our family’s stock will all be traded away. Calves and foals don’t fetch much; it takes three years for them to grow up… ah…”

“Brother Tree” was also quite despondent. He had served as the chieftain’s aide for decades, and he was by no means a man who thought only of raiding. Yet he couldn’t help but worry about their reserves. And the mountain-valley side had strong walls, deep moats, sharp weapons, and clever minds — he’d crossed blades with them before too.

“This county magistrate looks like a gentle woman — push a little more, try for a bit more — what if she gives in…”

“What’s wrong with being a woman?!” Su Yuan said suddenly. “Looking like a woman would be a good thing! Less malice! The person who burned my grandfather to death was no woman.”

“Brother Tree” smiled helplessly. For a young woman who wanted to take over governing on her father’s behalf, it was a difficult road enough — and yet her brothers were unlikely to prevail against their rivals.

Su Yuan realized she’d lashed out, and said more gently, “We already have enough enemies. We’ve finally found one who’s accommodating — don’t provoke her. She’s no ordinary person. There is much I want to learn from her.”

“Brother Tree” said in surprise, “Learn what?”

“She does everything by the books. People without ability who follow books like that just get deceived. People with ability who follow books like that — it means they know everything, and it’s also a way to make others obey. She can govern all these people; I want to learn that skill.” Su Yuan had spent most of her days in the mountain settlement, and certain habitual terms and vocabulary in her working language differed considerably from those of the plains people. She understood the concept perfectly well, but the word for “control” was simply not in her Qixia vocabulary.

When Su Yuan spoke about how to govern a clan or settlement, she often felt that the Qixia words didn’t quite capture it, and had to borrow some mountain-valley words. She thought slowly and said, “We have so many people, yet we are not as useful as the mountain-valley people. Uncle, you can see — he’s buying people because people are useful. When we have many people, they become less useful individually. He’s exchanged for people, and those people are grateful and say good things about him, and those who are unhappy with him still don’t dare disobey him — and so he’s better able to govern all these people. I’ve redeemed more people, and some say good things about me, some say bad — but all those extra people, how are they going to live?”

By the end she was talking to herself. “My aunt said the county magistrate governs no more people than we do — but he is so much stronger than us. My cousin also said something about making the ‘common people’ prosperous. How does one do that? Ah…”

All the way home, Su Yuan kept thinking about how to govern the settlement, the whole of the Asu family’s domain, everything within their reach — and she hadn’t stopped even after arriving back at the settlement.

“If I could manage all of the Qixia clan — the population would far exceed his one county, and the territory would not be less than one prefecture. Yet I am not stronger than him. Raiding alone cannot sustain things. If every person on the mountain could be as capable and productive as the mountain-valley people — wouldn’t that be wonderful? How would one do that? What would I need to do to make the people up the mountain as useful as the people down below…”

She kept thinking and thinking and dozed off.

The next morning she had to rouse herself, muster the bondservants, arrange for the bondservants to be given something to eat, collect the oxen and horses to be included in the exchange, and manage all the rest.

Down below, Zhù Ying was having a very comfortable time.

Early in the morning, Zhang Xiangu had risen before anyone else, lit the charcoal brazier that had been left over from winter, and laid out Zhù Ying’s clothes for the day to warm them. It had rained the day before, stopped for a while overnight, and started again by morning. All the clothes had gone damp. Zhang Xiangu was very particular about her daughter and believed women must not be exposed to cold and damp. She warmed the clothes one piece at a time, and as she did so, said, “All this rain is just too much.”

“Fulü County always gets more rain than the capital or home — it was like this last year too. Let it rain a bit more and it’ll be clear for two days,” Zhù Ying said. “You don’t think they’d call it a ‘miasma land’ for nothing? That’s why no one wants to come here.”

Zhang Xiangu clicked her tongue. “Shame, though — it has so much good fruit to eat.”

“That’s precisely why so few people starve to death here!”

Zhang Xiangu warmed one garment and handed it to Zhù Ying. “Quick — wear it while it’s warm.”

Zhù Ying burst out laughing. “All right, I’ll eat it while it’s warm.”

Zhang Xiangu raised her hand and smacked her. “That mouth of yours!”

She warmed the clothes one by one and, satisfied that Zhù Ying had them all on, said, “Right — go eat breakfast.”

All her warming of clothes was wasted, in the end. The moment Zhù Ying finished breakfast, dispatched the yamen’s business for the day, put on a bamboo rain hat and a straw rain cape, and went off to the fields — coming back damp as ever. Since spring plowing, she had brought two experienced old farmers in from the countryside, and along with the single family’s farmhands, they were all tending her little experimental plots.

The old farmers also wore straw rain capes and bamboo hats, and accompanied her into the fields. Zhang Xiangu’s mention of the rain prompted her to ask the old farmers about the situation with water. One old farmer said, “This isn’t even the heaviest or longest rains yet — a little rain now is good. As long as it doesn’t rain constantly when the grain is in flower, and doesn’t rain at harvest time, and the fertilizer and water hold up, this year’s harvest will certainly be good.”

They went on to look at other fields as well. Some were growing well, some were not. The single family’s farmhands muttered with the old farmer and both agreed it was a matter of the soil and the local conditions. The single family’s farmhands felt the area was too wet and hot; the old farmer said they didn’t know what they were talking about — this was the best possible land. In the end they had a slight disagreement and agreed to wait until the harvest to see who was right.

A couple of days later, there was a brief stretch of clear weather. In the inner quarters, Zhang Xiangu was urgently organizing the washing of clothing, and in the afternoon was hanging out bedding to air. On Zhù Ying’s side, she had the people and goods for the exchange with Su Yuan prepared in order. The gentry, who had only just received some small benefit from the tangerine plan and the fellow-locals gathering, were now being asked to sell bondservants to her — and though it was no compulsion and the market price was being paid, the gentry were both amused and helpless. “My lord really is…”

She doesn’t let things slide, does she.

But it was ultimately harmless, and there was no strong resistance. They appointed Elder Gu as their representative to come and put a case to Zhù Ying. “My lord, you’ve said the mountain peoples have many clans — today one comes wanting to exchange, tomorrow another will come wanting to exchange too. We can’t keep doing this indefinitely. These bondservants were all properly purchased through middlemen — we didn’t abduct anyone ourselves. All this back-and-forth wanting this one and not that one is too much trouble.”

Zhù Ying laughed and said, “Shall I just buy out all those with that sort of background?”

Elder Gu said, “That’s fine too.”

Zhù Ying said, “Master Qi.”

Elder Gu, seeing she was about to take action, quickly intervened. “No, no, no — the moment she calls for Master Qi, things are happening. My lord, always give us a definitive word. You’ve never been one to harass the countryside and everyone is grateful for that.”

“I’ve caused plenty of disturbance.”

“Good disturbances don’t count as disturbance.”

Zhù Ying said, “And if I told you everything from now on would be good disturbance?”

“Then that’s fine!” Elder Gu agreed in a single breath. “Plant seeds in spring to reap grain in autumn — understood!”

Zhù Ying pointed at him and said, “A wily old fox.”

Elder Gu said, “I wouldn’t dare. I’m still young enough to be useful, and still capable of doing some work for my lord.”

The two of them both laughed.

On the day appointed for the exchange, Zhù Ying again led the party in person. This time she left Administrator Guan at home to hold down the fort, and brought the county commandant, Chief Registrar Mo, the household registrar officer, and others. The household registrar officer was there to record the population on the spot — those who were registered in this county would have their household registration restored immediately. Those not of this county but within this prefecture would have their papers forwarded to the prefecture. Those not of this prefecture would have papers sent to Circuit Intendant Lu for him to assign as he saw fit.

Beyond the people, there were also goods — transporting porcelain required special care. Each piece was padded with thick layers of straw, separated, then the straw was tied with rope and packed into crates. There was also a small quantity of grain available for trade.

On the mountain side, apart from the people, there were animals. Zhù Ying had brought the veterinarian along to examine them. “Brother Tree” cast one glance at this middle-aged veterinarian and felt a strong pang of desire — he nearly opened his mouth to ask if they could exchange for him too.

Zhù Ying looked over the bondservants. Most were skeletal, and because they were so thin, their eyes looked particularly large in their faces. Their joints were prominent, and their heads had been shaved down to a random patch of hair, roughly braided into a plait. Around their necks, wrists, and ankles there were marks of long wear from chains, shackles, or collar rings. Their bodies were covered in overlapping wounds — whip marks, rod marks, and also some from sharp implements. Among them were a dozen or so people with disabilities — some missing a hand, some a foot, some blind, some missing an ear.

Zhao Su said quietly to Zhù Ying, “These are all people who’ve had punishments inflicted on them.”

Those accompanying her showed expressions varying from thin anger to quiet fear. Zhù Ying showed nothing on her face. “Not bad.”

When the exchange was complete, both sides had a small surplus of goods. Looking at each other’s remaining inventory, Zhù Ying and Su Yuan shared a knowing smile. Zhù Ying looked at what was left — some skilled craftwork items and some farming tools. She knocked on the crate. “We brought it out; there’s no bringing it back.” She gave it all to Su Yuan.

Su Yuan also gave her an ox and a horse. Their horses were a breed slightly shorter and stockier than the kind Zhù Ying had ridden from the capital, roughly the way different people vary in height — but for use in the local area, for carrying loads or pulling a plow, they were very well suited.

Su Yuan also brought out some tea to give Zhù Ying. “Please try our tea.”

Zhù Ying received it graciously.

Then Su Yuan raised another request. “My father would like to come personally to the county seat to discuss a few matters with my lord. Would that be acceptable?”

Zhù Ying said, “Of course.”

Chieftain Asu coming down to the county would require a different kind of arrangement than Su Yuan simply visiting to see her aunt. He held the identity of “foreign tribal head” — something of a half-foreign-dignitary status. First there was the security question: he would need to bring guards, and the guards would need to carry weapons. Second, there were the matters to be discussed. All of this required Su Yuan to first reach some prior understanding with Fulü County.

Zhù Ying said, “The guards may come, and they may carry weapons. But they may not wander freely or fight with anyone. If any death or serious injury occurs, it creates difficulties for all of us. I will also send an escort to receive him; with my people accompanying him, if anyone in this county is disrespectful toward the chieftain or makes the first move against him, I’ll be the one to punish them.”

Su Yuan thought for a moment, glanced at her cousin Zhao Su — his situation in the county had improved considerably over the past year. She said, “That can work.”

As for the matters to be discussed, Su Yuan said, “My father will have to explain them himself. They won’t be too difficult for my lord.”

Zhù Ying said, “Very well.” Anything too difficult she simply wouldn’t agree to anyway. Tsk!

The date for Chieftain Asu’s visit to the county was set five days hence. Zhù Ying returned first to the county seat to prepare; Su Yuan went back to the settlement to report.

On Zhù Ying’s side, she ordered large flat carts to be prepared, loaded the bondservants onto them one cart at a time, and brought the whole company back to the county seat. The household registrar officer then registered each person individually, sorting them into categories. The county yamen didn’t have enough space, but the exile encampment was nearly finished, and though it had no furnishings yet, the living conditions were far better than what mountain-side bondservants had been used to.

The household registrar officer and the encampment supervisor sorted the people according to their registered home areas. Only now did they truly believe they were going home, and weeping broke out all around.

A few people who had falsely claimed to be from other places now called out loudly, “I am from this county! I am from this county! My surname is Zhang/Wang/Li/Zhao — so-and-so elder, so-and-so young master, is my great-uncle/uncle/relative…”

The household registrar officer was both exasperated and amused. “Look at you, clever!” Yet he also felt sorry for them, and went through the registration process again.

Because almost every major family of the various townships had relatives living in the county seat, the household registrar officer sent word to the county yamen, and before long Zhù Ying had arranged for the various households to come and identify family. They might not all know each other, but they could “compare genealogies” — if they could trace back their family lines far enough to the same ancestor, more or less, they would know whether or not they were related.

Zhù Ying also came to look in on things. She said only one thing: “Consider today your homecoming.” And another wave of weeping broke out below. Zhù Ying said, “Come, make introductions.” Another moment of uncles and cousins and siblings and nephews flying through the air, and none of the major households could very well push away people who came forward to embrace them and weep.

Some wept for a son who had been buried alive; others wept for a wife who had fallen from a cliff while trying to escape and been killed. Zhù Ying listened quietly to all of it.

Until one person said, “Uncle, I miss home. What happened to my mother?”

This person was a clan relative of another local gentry family, surnamed Wang. He had been seized on the road when he was about ten years old, leaving behind only an elderly mother. Ten years had passed. He was still alive; his mother was not, and the land registered under his name had already been taken back by the clan.

His uncle mumbled vaguely. Zhù Ying heard every word of it, and knew that the real trouble was only beginning.

Sure enough, by the third day, someone came to the yamen to file a complaint, saying this person was no clan relative of the Wangs at all. Not everyone was happy to see a clansmate return.

Elder Wang had no choice but to come to the county yamen to seek Zhù Ying’s guidance. “My lord, at the time, everyone believed his family line had died out, and the clan reached a collective decision on it — the land has been under cultivation for all these years. My lord’s judgment returning it to him is easy enough to say, but once those few acres are returned, he’ll have nowhere to live in the village. How is he going to manage afterward? Surely you can’t have someone watching over him at all times? Those fields — others have been working them for ten years already.”

Zhù Ying said, “I bought people back so they could be forced to death by others all over again.”

Elder Wang looked deeply alarmed.

Zhù Ying said, “Go home first — I’ll handle it.”

Elder Wang said, “Yes.”

Zhù Ying quickly adjudicated the case. She first sent someone to investigate whether this person was indeed the Wang family member who had gone missing; if not, she’d have him tried for impersonation and fraudulent claims to property and sent to the quarry to break stones. If he truly was a Wang clan member, she would first attempt mediation. Elder Wang had a point — in a community where the whole clan lived together, where even selling land required the clan to have the right of first refusal, someone who offended the whole clan and was of middling standing would find life nearly impossible. A detailed account was sent to local man Tong Bo for investigation.

Tong Bo found the missing Wang man’s maternal uncle, his paternal aunt, and others, and all of them confirmed the identifying marks the Wang man should have on his body. Both accounts checked out, and his identity was confirmed.

Zhù Ying then mediated.

She said to the Wang clan members, “An orphaned child with a widowed mother — barely ten years old, and the boy went missing on the road. Now ten years have passed and I’m not going to pursue this old matter any further. As it happens, this orphan had two acres of land registered under his name. If you don’t acknowledge him, the land becomes ownerless, and that means the clan reclaims it. Don’t think I don’t understand how that works.”

The Wang clan members bowed their heads.

Zhù Ying also summoned the Wang man, asked whether anyone had deliberately caused his disappearance, and if so, he needed to produce a witness. The Wang man couldn’t produce one. Zhù Ying also couldn’t confirm it was “eating an orphaned family’s assets,” and had to treat it as a case of “assets managed by others after an accidental disappearance.”

Zhù Ying ruled: “Ten years have passed. Your land has not been left to go fallow — others have cultivated it and paid the tax obligation for you. You cannot recover ten years’ worth of the harvest from them. They maintained your land for ten years, laboring without stop — you also owe them some labor compensation. Given that you’ve only just returned, it need not be paid all at once; you may repay it gradually over the years.” The labor compensation was not set unreasonably high, being calculated according to the court’s own tax rate.

The Wang clan members, knowing this county magistrate’s ways, had already yielded. But the Wang man still wanted to argue. “My lord, it’s all mine — I’m not giving them anything.”

Elder Wang, at the side, saw the situation, flew forward, and physically pressed the foolish young man down, saying, “My lord has spoken justly and well!”

With the Wang man’s case as precedent, a succession of people came forward wanting to reclaim their old property. Some of them were indeed impersonating others to fraudulently claim assets, and all of those were sent by Zhù Ying to the quarry to break stones.

These cases were not yet all settled when Chieftain Asu arrived.

Chieftain Asu came on a rainy day.

Zhao Su received word a day early and reported to Zhù Ying first. By the time Chieftain Asu reached the western township, Zhù Ying already knew. Zhao Su came to the county yamen to find her, and she said, “I had a feeling you’d be coming right about now. Take some time to spend with your uncle. I’ll arrange for someone to go with you.”

Zhao Su said, “Yes. I’ll go request leave.”

Zhù Ying said, “Check the post house first — if there’s anything you think should be changed, have it changed. Make sure your uncle is comfortable. When people are older, they already sleep less; if their accommodations are uncomfortable, it makes things even harder.”

“Yes.”

With Zhù Ying’s instructions, Zhao Su went and checked the post house over. Since Su Yuan had stayed there, nothing remained that the Asu household might find objectionable. He asked for leave for that day, went to the city gate to meet his uncle, and escorted Chieftain Asu to the post house.

The county seat residents had grown fairly accustomed to the comings and goings of “mountain peoples” by now. With the bondservant exchange as well, though some still frightened small children with “stop crying, or the mountain people will come and eat you,” they also felt that at least the Zhao Su’s uncle’s family operated by some principles. People glanced at Chieftain Asu for a moment and then went back to their own business, having little time to look at the novelty.

There were some sharp-eyed vendors who knew certain handcrafted trinkets appealed to mountain-side people, and came pressing forward with their wares at inflated prices, radiating the enthusiasm of people ready to fleece a naive outsider. Zhao Su felt irritated, and from horseback cast a cold glance downward. The vendors stuck out their tongues and thought: Oh no — forgot that he knows the prices. They scooped up their trays and made a run for it.

Chieftain Asu couldn’t follow most of it, but could roughly understand the gist. Seeing the stiff expression on his nephew’s face, he laughed heartily.

Zhao Su called softly, “Uncle.”

“All right, let’s go rest first, shall we?”

The uncle and nephew arrived at the post house. Chieftain Asu didn’t ask about the goings-on outside first — he was also a little tired — and instead said to his nephew, “What was that ‘visiting card’ business Little Sister sent me? Do I need one of those too?”

“It’s better to have one. Down here, it carries more weight in exchanges like this.”

“Good, then write one for me.”

“I already have. Would you like to look at it?”

“Can I read it?”

Zhao Su also smiled. “Then I’ll deliver it on your behalf. Uncle…”

“Young people — don’t ask things you shouldn’t be asking.”

“Yes.”

Zhao Su went to deliver the card and came back to report that Zhù Ying was preparing at the county yamen, and would host Chieftain Asu at a banquet the next day.

Chieftain Asu said, “The custom is for the guest to visit the host first. Are you tired?”

“Isn’t uncle tired?”

“Still fine. Little Sister said things are lively down here — take me out for a walk.”

“Does uncle want to go to the market? I’ll have some money prepared.”

“I just want to look. No need for money. Let me change my clothes.”

Chieftain Asu had prepared a set of mountain-valley style robes — dark teal in color, embroidered with some decorative patterns. The hat on his head was also changed to a black gauze headwrap; at his waist hung a small pouch. His boots were white-soled with black uppers. Only the blade on the other side of his waist remained exactly as it always was, which looked a bit out of place.

Chieftain Asu first looked around the market for a few moments, then lost interest. He asked, “Where is the blacksmith? I’d like to have a look.”

Zhao Su hesitated briefly, then pointed in a direction. “That way.”

Chieftain Asu set off toward the blacksmith’s shop.

They had barely come within sight of the blacksmith’s signboard and hadn’t yet gotten close when they saw two yamen runners escorting a man, and beside them an official-looking man saying, “Every time someone else beats his wife, you go and do the same! Look how many people I’ve already had to thrash — and you still do it!” Behind them stumbled a woman with a battered, swollen face, her shoes gone, scrambling to keep up.

Chieftain Asu asked curiously, “What is that about?”

Zhao Su said quietly, “My foster father’s orders: anyone who beats his wife gets beaten himself — twenty strokes of the heavy rod.”

Chieftain Asu said, “And no one objects to this?”

Zhao Su said, “Everyone accepts it. The head teacher says a man beating his wife is a disgrace to public morals, contrary to all proper instruction — it is a dishonorable act.”

Chieftain Asu was unconvinced and had Zhao Su ask two of the bystanders. The bystanders were enjoying the spectacle; one said, when Zhao Su spoke to him, “Zhao young master? You don’t understand? Why are you even asking? The county magistrate only casually beats up men who beat their wives — it’s not like he’s stealing their wives. There have been county magistrates who steal other men’s wives. This doesn’t come close to that. Besides, wife-beating leads to incidents — last time, a woman was beaten to such extremity that she chopped her husband into mincemeat.”

A passerby added, “Let him be beaten. Can’t he make the whole county eat a full meal? Last winter, every household had one extra bowl of rice per day. A man who beats his wife at home — the crying and shouting disturbs the neighbors too. The county magistrate is an official — he can beat anyone he likes.”

Chieftain Asu listened to Zhao Su’s translation and said with a laugh, “Your so-called ‘head teacher’ doesn’t understand. These two just now are telling the truth.”

Zhao Su said, “The head teacher also meant it from the heart.”

Chieftain Asu maintained his own view.

The uncle and nephew were now very close to the blacksmith’s shop. At the smithy, Master Wan the blacksmith was still working, discussing with the local blacksmith what had just happened. Master Wan said, “Haven’t seen this sort of thing elsewhere.”

The local blacksmith said, “You do your work and go back to where you came from — you don’t have time to wander around. This has been going on for days already; it’s just slowed down a little recently.”

Master Wan said, “I heard they said my new quarters are nearly ready — once I move there I won’t have to live in the jail anymore. Then I can go around and see things. Hey — the lord doing this and no one says anything?”

The local blacksmith said, “What would anyone say? Whatever the lord does must have a reason! Ever since Lord Zhù came, our days have been getting better and better — even the wealthy have stopped bullying ordinary people.”

Master Wan grinned. “Sounds a bit like our Chancellor Wang!” He spat into his palm, rubbed his hands together, and got back to work.

The local residents disliked the exiled convicts who’d been brought there. In their experience, though there were certainly many who’d been wronged, those who survived the three-thousand-li journey to arrive here all had a certain tiresome tenacity about them. Hearing Master Wan mention “Chancellor Wang,” the local blacksmith thought: At least you know what’s good.

He felt a little more favorably toward Master Wan.

The two were still talking when Chieftain Asu came in. He had sharp eyes. He picked up a few items and asked the price — all of them Master Wan’s work. The local blacksmith grew wary and said to Zhao Su, “It’s you? You know the rules — I can’t just sell things here casually.”

Chieftain Asu, reading his expression, laughed out loud and walked away with Zhao Su.

The next day, Zhù Ying formally sent a card inviting Chieftain Asu to the county yamen for a visit, hosting a banquet there that evening. But Chieftain Asu came in person early in the morning. By then, Zhù Ying had just finished giving instructions for the day’s business, telling everyone to press ahead and finish a little early today to prepare for the evening banquet.

The words had barely left her mouth when Hou Wu came running. “My lord, the chieftain is here!”

Zhù Ying said, “Please bring him in.” She went and stood in the covered corridor herself to receive him.

Chieftain Asu looked as if he’d thinned slightly again, but his spirits were still good. The rain had stopped today, and his steps felt a little lighter.

Zhù Ying clasped her hands in greeting. “The chieftain’s visit honors us greatly.”

Then she switched to the Qixia language to continue. The chieftain, emboldened by the fact that few people could understand him, said frankly to Zhù Ying, “Little Sister came back and said the county magistrate is fair — better than any official I’ve met. So I came myself.”

“You flatter me greatly. Please.” Zhù Ying said. “I originally thought the chieftain had come such a long distance and would want to rest first, with the banquet this evening being a proper occasion to drink and talk things through.”

“You can’t drink anyway,” the chieftain teased. “And I’m not about to let you read my mind. Hey — county magistrate, what is it you see in my mind?”

Zhù Ying said, “The chieftain will say it himself.”

As they spoke, they reached the small sitting room. The two sat down. Tea was served. The chieftain took a sip and said, “Better flavor than my tea, but my tea plants are no worse than anyone else’s.”

“It’s the processing method.”

“Yes indeed — don’t know how to handle it, so good things get wasted.” Chieftain Asu sighed briefly, then quickly came to the point. “Too many idle ears over drinks — it’s simpler to speak plainly with the county magistrate: our several exchanges have all gone reasonably well, haven’t they?”

“Of course.” Zhù Ying inwardly was already forming a guess — several? Did he want to make it a regular thing?

“It’s all too much trouble like this. The market in your county seat is much better.”

Zhù Ying said, “Does the chieftain mean to establish a dedicated market for trade?”

Chieftain Asu nodded. “Yes. Before, just a few small merchants going back and forth — couldn’t find what you wanted, couldn’t find what you needed.”

“Isn’t Zhao Feng good enough?”

Chieftain Asu didn’t deny that Zhao Feng had served as an intermediary in the past, but said, “Good — but not enough.” Many transactions strictly prohibited by the court — such as salt and iron — this area didn’t produce locally anyway, so Zhao Feng had to relay them through additional middlemen, which he couldn’t manage. And because of the disaster set off by that incident decades ago, and the mutual raiding that followed, there was very little trust between the mountain and valley sides — something a local landowner like Zhao Feng couldn’t resolve on his own. Moreover, Chieftain Asu had other calculations that necessarily required dealing with the government directly.

“I need to think this through carefully. Even if I agree, it will require a proper arrangement.”

“Fine! I’ll stay a few more days and wait for the county magistrate’s answer. Is that workable?”

“Yes.”