Ever since Zhù Ying had decided to let Cao Chang escort the New Year’s gifts and letters back to the capital this year, Cao Chang had been so excited he didn’t know what to do with himself. He tossed and turned in bed at night, unable to sleep no matter what.

He, Xiao Wu, and Hou Wu all fared quite well staying by Zhù Ying’s side — each had his own room, furnished with a bed and trunks and the like. He lit his lamp and spent the entire night inventorying the savings he had accumulated.

Zhù Ying didn’t squeeze the local populace herself, but she was good at managing affairs and was not stingy with her servants. Scattering a little money around generously cost her nothing significant, yet to Cao Chang it amounted to a rare private windfall. He spent half the night counting coins before he had a clear tally, mulling over sending it back to the capital for his parents and perhaps even setting aside a bit of his own household property.

He felt a pang of regret. Previously, Xiao Wu had accompanied Zhù Ying everywhere, going to the prefectural city together and purchasing some pearls and the like. At the time he hadn’t caught on, but thinking back now, he really should have begged to tag along and buy some too. Xiao Wu had come back saying that gems in the prefectural city were far cheaper than in the capital!

It was too late to buy any now — Zhù Ying only went to the prefectural city a few times a year, and the next trip wouldn’t be until late in the twelfth month, by which point Cao Chang and Xiao Wu would already have escorted the gifts to the capital!

Cao Chang spent another half the night in regret, and failed to sleep well the entire night. The next day he appeared before Zhù Ying with two dark circles under his eyes.

Xiao Wu had made one trip back to the capital before, so today he had only been excited for half the night and slept the other half, and he remained sharp and alert as ever — making Cao Chang look all the duller by comparison. Zhù Ying, however, had different arrangements for the two of them.

She first instructed Xiao Wu: “Once you’ve settled in, go deliver these letters first, and bring along the gifts. There’s one more thing I need you to do.”

Xiao Wu puffed out his chest. “My lord, just give the order — I’ll take care of everything!”

Zhù Ying had him deliver letters and gifts to Wang Yunhe and the others, each package neatly bundled. The last parcel — the one for Liu Songnian — was especially large, and she impressed upon him: “You must bring back Master Liu’s reply.”

“Yes.” Xiao Wu looked over the gifts one by one; many of the precious items among them he himself had helped purchase. He also noticed that Chen the retired Chancellor was included — not a single person left out — and thought: Zhù Daren truly is a thoughtful person!

Zhù Ying said at last: “One final matter — when you go home, keep your ears open for any changes at the Court of Judicial Review lately.”

Xiao Wu slapped his chest at once. “My lord, there might be other things I can’t manage, but news from the Court of Judicial Review — heh.” His father, his elder sister, and his brother-in-law all worked at the Court of Judicial Review. How could he not find out?

Zhù Ying said: “You left a package of things at your elder sister’s place — don’t forget it. Go fetch it.”

“Yes!”

Xiao Wu felt a small pang of regret, for among all the gifts Zhù Ying had him deliver, there was one person conspicuously absent — Zheng Xi. Lord Zheng was the person most exceptional in his treatment of Zhù Daren! Without the cultivation of the Zheng Marquis household, Zhù Daren would not be where she was today. What a pity…

What a pity that Cao Chang had deeper ties with the Zheng Marquis household, so that particular errand would certainly fall to Cao Chang. Xiao Wu went to retrieve the jewels he had bought for himself from Huajie, hesitating over whether to pull some small trick along the way to find out what sort of assignment Cao Chang had been given.

Cao Chang had absolutely no idea Xiao Wu entertained such thoughts. He was floating along in a daze, and Zhù Ying, who had been about to give him his instructions, saw his state and didn’t bring it up right away. It wasn’t until noon, when Cao Chang had taken a short nap and finally had a bit of energy again, that Zhù Ying assigned him the task of escorting goods to the Zheng household. Cao Chang’s duties also included calling on familiar acquaintances such as Jin Liang.

Zhù Ying made no special point of telling Cao Chang to investigate anything. This child was not cut out for that sort of work. Simply dropping him at the Zheng household and letting him meet Gan Ze’s cousins would be enough to get the job done.

Though the two of them shared the same assignment, the hierarchy of who took the lead differed depending on which household they visited.

Two more days passed — Zhang Xiangu had consulted the almanac for an auspicious date — and Zhù Ying drew up the official documents. Xiao Wu and Cao Chang loaded several large carts and set out for the capital.

The two of them traveled by day and rested by night, not daring to dawdle. Xiao Wu kept a clear mental ledger, and Cao Chang was an honest, dependable boy; neither loafed nor drank or gambled along the road. They were also cautious, never pushing on recklessly through rain or snow — they would wait for fine weather and then quicken their pace. Along the way they kept the precious gems on their persons at all times, while the specialty mountain mushrooms, dried fruits, and the like were left in the large trunks for the cart drivers and other attendants to watch over.

They reached the capital in the middle of the twelfth month. A snowfall there had just stopped, and the snow swept to the roadside had not yet turned grey and black — it was still clean and white.

Neither dared to dawdle. With Cao Chang in the lead — that order had been set by Zhù Ying herself — they headed straight for the Zheng Marquis household. Whatever others might say, she always put Zheng Xi first.

The Zheng Marquis household regarded her favorably, and in fact, at almost the very same time Cao Chang and Xiao Wu had set out, the Zheng Marquis household’s own cart had already departed for Fulu County. The year before, Zhù Ying had done Chen Yuan a favour, and Chen Yuan had passed a portion of that goodwill on to Zheng Xi, who had in turn sent Zhù Ying a great many things.

Yue Miaojun had a vague sense of this, and early this year had asked whether they ought to send Zhù Ying something again. “It is hard work in those miasmatic lands — one ought not let a person’s heart grow cold.”

Zheng Xi had been of the same mind for some time, indicating that she should prepare something. Zhù Ying had mentioned in an earlier letter that the Asu Clan Chief was fond of short blades, so Zheng Xi sought out one from the old Zheng Marquis. Once it was all arranged, he laughed at himself wryly: “In the past he used to sort things out for me; now it seems I am the one sorting things out for him.”

Yue Miaojun consoled him: “It is simply the alternation between tension and ease.”

When Cao Chang arrived with the New Year’s gifts, Zheng Xi’s mood improved considerably. He joked that these past two years he had been “utterly useless” — unable to accomplish anything of consequence — yet someone still thought of him, and that made him glad enough. He summoned Cao Chang to speak with him.

Gan Ze slipped away by a shortcut to see his younger cousin first, and exchanged just a couple of sentences before falling into something close to despair — still the same hopeless cousin. He coached Cao Chang: “When you see Seventh Young Master, don’t talk too much. If he asks about Sanlang and you don’t know something, say you don’t know. Even if you do know, say less.”

Cao Chang said: “I know.”

He was never one for talk anyway. Zheng Xi said offhandedly: “The two of you must have had a tiring journey.”

Cao Chang replied: “Not tiring at all, not tiring at all.” Gan Ze strained his ears waiting for the rest — surely he would say a little more by way of pleasantries? Nothing more came. Gan Ze regretted telling him to “say less,” though he did not know that Cao Chang simply was not the sort of person who could manage flattering words. He only knew how to say “not tiring,” and such remarks as “it is this lowly one’s fortune to come to the capital on Zhù Daren’s behalf to meet Lord Zheng — something others could only beg for” were simply beyond his capacity to formulate.

Gan Ze listened in agony as Zheng Xi asked: “Is Zi Zhang well?”

Cao Chang fell dumb. To say he was well would be a stretch — being sidelined by the prefect was hardly “well,” and he hadn’t saved up much money either. To say he wasn’t well — well, he had gotten quite a bit done. He truly had no idea how to put it.

Gan Ze kicked him in the shin: “He’s asking you. What has Sanlang been up to lately?”

Cao Chang said: “Busy with county affairs.”

Had Zheng Xi not known perfectly well that this was simply how Cao Chang was, he might have thought Zhù Ying had sent this person specifically to exasperate him. He had to ask more specifically: “How are the Ying tribe doing now?”

Cao Chang said: “The Clan Chief and our lord swore brotherhood!”

“Pff—” Zheng Xi nearly choked. “Well,” he said, “that works too.”

“And the county’s gentry and scholars?”

Cao Chang said: “Our lord is stronger than all of them.”

“What are his parents doing?”

“Nothing particular — when they have free time they go out for tea and listen to stories, and the rest of the time they keep an eye on what Daren eats and wears.”

Zheng Xi couldn’t help but feel sympathetic toward Zhù Ying — having such a servant around must be suffocating. He had Cao Chang leave the letters and then dismissed him. Opening the letters, he found that Zhù Ying had already laid out a number of matters in writing, so there was no need for Cao Chang to say more after all.

Gan Ze watched his expression and thought: I need to request leave at once!

Once Cao Chang had handed over the goods, he hurried off to the next household. By the time Gan Ze had obtained leave and come out, Cao Chang had already finished his calls at Jin Liang’s, Wen Yue’s, and several other residences, delivered all the gifts, and returned to the Zhù family residence in the capital to see his own parents.

The Cao family were looking after the house — that was their job — and they continued to stay in the servants’ quarters of the Zhù household. When Cao Chang returned, he likewise stayed in the gatehouse and would not presume to sneak into the master’s bedchamber.

When the family of three reunited, there was naturally a mixture of joy and sorrow — Cao Chang had put on a little weight, his parents had aged a little — and they had barely finished exchanging news of their time apart when Gan Ze arrived. Gan Ze said: “I came to check on him first — once we’ve finished our business, we can enjoy the New Year with peace of mind.”

Cao Chang asked blankly: “Business? I’ve already finished all the business, haven’t I?”

Gan Ze felt as though his back had been thrown out: “Finished?! How did you go about it?!”

“I just went, gave them the things, said they were from Daren. Sat for a bit, they had nothing to say, so I came back.”

Gan Ze’s face turned green. He thought to himself: this time I’ve really incurred a massive debt of gratitude to Sanlang.

On the other side, Xiao Wu was a great deal sharper than Cao Chang.

Dusty from travel, he first called at Wang Yunhe’s residence and submitted a card, then waited. No matter how upright Wang Yunhe was, he was a Chancellor, and too many people sought his audience. Xiao Wu submitted his card and waited a full half hour before being admitted — and that was already quite efficient; many petitioners who sent cards received no reply the same day.

Xiao Wu first delivered the letter, then presented the gift list.

Wang Yunhe saw items such as mountain delicacies and honey on it — fine things that would sell well in the capital yet cost little in Fulu County — and nodded slowly. Xiao Wu then presented a small lacquered box. Wang Yunhe asked: “What is this?”

“My lord says it is a small trinket.”

Wang Yunhe removed the seal. Inside the box was an exquisite pendant: a white crane with a vermillion crown, its body lustrous with a pearl sheen, a tiny red gemstone set at the crown, tortoiseshell forming the black feathers, the white body fashioned from a single irregular pearl. He was just marveling at the ingenuity of it when he picked it up and discovered the pendant could serve multiple purposes: hung from the end of a fan it was an ornament, but it also had a ring clasp so it could be slipped onto a plain hairpin and tightened to serve as a hairpin head. Simply set on a desk, it could be admired as an object of contemplation.

Wang Yunhe smiled: “Delightful.”

Xiao Wu did not dare utter another word. He had presented the gift and was about to leave when Wang Yunhe asked: “When do you return?”

Xiao Wu replied: “In reply to the Chancellor — this lowly one is a capital native, and Zhù Daren has permitted me to spend the New Year at home before returning.”

“That sounds like something he would say. Come back to see me before you leave.”

“Yes!” Xiao Wu answered with enthusiasm.

He then made a call at Chen Yuan’s household, followed by Shi Kun’s, and afterward at the residences of Pei Qing, Leng Yun, and others. Chen Yuan was at leisure and had him come in for a chat, starting with questions about the climate of Fulu County, then moving to enquiries about Zhù Ying’s daily life and diet — altogether the manner of a kindly elder.

Xiao Wu was at a loss to understand it, and gradually forgot his purpose for coming, chatting away with Chen Yuan quite congenially. When Chen Yuan said, “It’s getting late — you’re back in the capital just in time for the New Year. Come by again before you head back,” Xiao Wu stumbled out of the Chen household in a daze and could barely recall what he and Chen Yuan had talked about.

At the Pei and Leng residences neither was in; the household staff, upon seeing Zhù Ying’s calling card, were very courteous, yet both said their masters were not at home. Xiao Wu had no choice but to leave Zhù Ying’s card and the gifts. Seeing it was getting late, he hurried back to his own home. The remaining calls — on Hu Lian and the Deputy Director and the like — were on lesser officials and not urgent for today. Liu Songnian he planned to make a special early-morning trip to see the very next day: the old gentleman had a rather prickly temperament and was worth waiting at the door for from first light.

The moment he arrived home, he was greeted with tremendous warmth.

Xiao Wu broke into a silly grin. “What have I done to deserve this? You all missed me this much?”

His mother reached out and pinched his cheek. “What good have you ever done? Your sister is on duty today — she’ll be back tomorrow. Rest first! Let me look at you — you’ve lost weight!” His family also had a small maid, and his mother had the girl bring hot food and tea for him, then settled in to talk at length.

Xiao Wu could not wait, and pulled out the packet of pearls from inside his coat. “That’s about all the south produces — Daren was generous with the allowances, so I bought some.”

His mother was overjoyed. “Wonderful, wonderful!”

Mother and son were in the midst of their delight when old Wu came home too. Old Wu said: “You’re back?! Did Daren have anything to say?”

Xiao Wu cooled a little. “What — something really did happen?”

“Did Daren foresee it?”

Father and son talked past each other for several exchanges before old Wu said: “You be quiet — I’ll ask, you answer! What did Daren send you to do?”

“Deliver the New Year’s gifts, and find out whether there’ve been any changes at the Court of Judicial Review lately.”

Old Wu clapped his hands together. “About time someone asked!”

“What’s happened?”

“What’s happened? A Lord Dou came as the new Grand Judge. New broom sweeps clean — what do you think happened?”

While the two of them talked, the mother grew impatient: “The child just got home — are you going to let the man eat or not?!”

Old Wu said: “You’re right, old woman — set out the wine and dishes, and call his brother-in-law over too. Let’s men folk have a couple of drinks and take our time!”

Xiao Wu’s brother-in-law was young Tao — the one who had followed Zhù Ying a thousand li to dig up Li Zang’s grave.

The three sat together eating and talking. Xiao Tao said: “Going off with young Lord Zhù — what luck you have!”

Though Xiao Wu felt pleased, he was also a little worried about his father, sister, and brother-in-law, and asked: “Is Grand Judge Dou difficult? Daren said Grand Judge Dou is a clear-headed man.”

Old Wu said: “That’s precisely the problem — he’s too clear-headed! If he were muddle-headed, we could work around him!”

Xiao Tao said: “Think about it — what clear-headed man doesn’t want everyone under him to answer to him alone? In our Court of Judicial Review: Deputy Chief Justice Leng doesn’t manage much, but he has his two or three errand-runners. Deputy Chief Justice Pei has been acting head for two years and has quite a few who listen to him. Lord Zheng moved to the Eastern Palace but never left the capital — they still see each other daily — and these people all rose under Lord Zheng’s hand. Grand Judge Dou — a sharp man, arriving at the Court of Judicial Review completely on his own, with the Emperor and the Chancellors watching over him — do you think he could not do something?”

Xiao Wu said: “Shouldn’t he quietly watch first, and then make his move when he knows the lay of the land?”

Old Wu glanced at him and said: “What if he’s already figured it out? — Hey, which people did young Zhù Daren have you deliver gifts to?”

Xiao Wu counted on his fingers. Old Wu and Xiao Tao were no longer surprised when they heard names like Chancellor Wang or Master Liu, but both urged him: “Hu Lian is fine, but at the Deputy Director’s place, just listen to whatever is said — don’t respond to a single word. And whatever you do, don’t go to the Su Centipede’s house!”

Xiao Wu was startled. “Something really did happen?”

Xiao Tao laughed coldly: “Everybody has their eye on all the things young Zhù Daren has in hand and they’re dying of envy — but none of them stop to weigh how much they’re worth! The Su Centipede married himself the daughter of a retired fifth-rank official, right when money is flowing out freely. He’s stirred up quite a massive deficit! I expect he’s heading for ruin.”

Xiao Wu hadn’t known Su Kuang had married, and said: “What’s wrong with that? A fifth-rank official’s daughter!”

“Retired!” Xiao Tao said impatiently.

Su Kuang had struggled for years to reach the sixth rank; for someone of his seniority, rising to the fifth rank was even harder than it had been for Zhù Ying. He was not alone in this — many talented young officials got stuck at that level for years on end. Even so, that rank was quite sufficient for Su Kuang to negotiate a respectable match. The daughters of fifth-rank officials did not necessarily marry fifth-rank officials or above — most of their husbands were themselves still in the lower ranks. Su Kuang was not old, looked presentable, and had seniority and prospects — he was well worth the hand of an official family’s daughter.

Old Wu said: “The youngest daughter, born of a concubine — he not only has to keep up appearances before his wife’s family, but also has to deal with the ‘uncles’ from the birth-mother’s family. He’s going to be bleeding money. When Deputy Chief Justice Pei was in charge, Pei let him take on some of the Deputy Director’s responsibilities — because the Deputy Director’s efficiency was never as good as Zhù Daren’s, and Pei did it for the sake of the work. But now, with the Deputy Director not pulling his own weight, how did he end up dragging the rest of us down too?”

Xiao Wu said: “I’m a bit confused now.”

Xiao Tao said: “What’s confusing about it? Let me explain. When young Zhù Daren was there, she set up many revenue-generating assets for our Court of Judicial Review — correct?”

“Yes.”

“His lordship left, the Deputy Director took over and didn’t manage as well as he had. Deputy Chief Justice Pei then had Su Centipede and Bao the Senior Clerk help share the burden. Bao assists Registrar Hu with general affairs, but Su Centipede stuck his hand in to grab money. The two of them fed too greedily — the deficit grew — and then Grand Judge Dou arrived and wants to audit the accounts…”

Xiao Wu drew in a sharp breath. “Disaster.”

Old Wu said: “That’s not even the worst of it! He couldn’t balance the books, so he went crooked — started extorting the merchants from before. When young Zhù Daren was there, she kept her sleeves clean, and the merchants did well for themselves and didn’t mind. Once he started squeezing them, some who couldn’t bear it kicked up a fuss. He then used his authority to bully them. Some merchants swallowed their anger, some simply stopped doing business with him. His deficit only grew, and he’s currently scheming to sell off the assets young Zhù Daren had acquired for the Court of Judicial Review to plug the hole!”

Xiao Wu was furious. “That scoundrel!” Then he asked: “What about our family’s…”

Three members of their household ate from the Court of Judicial Review’s table. The supplementary income used to be nearly equal to their official salaries. Now that they’d slaughtered the hen, where were the eggs going to come from?

The cases Su Kuang had handled still held up to scrutiny — but the accounts he had handled…

Xiao Wu cursed: “Worthless wretch — how did he take on those accounts when he didn’t have what it takes?”

“Exactly!”

They did not know that Su Kuang had in fact done his calculations. When Zhù Ying had been at the Court of Judicial Review, she had extremely good relations with everyone there and could move all the staff above and below her. Su Kuang had observed this and concluded that “buying loyalty” played a role. He wanted to follow the same path as Zhù Ying, not knowing that Zhù Ying had genuinely exercised restraint and kept her hands clean; after Su Kuang married, he had an entire household to support. His wife had brought a dowry, but the expenses were large too — he “had no choice” but to dip into the Court of Judicial Review’s funds while he had the chance.

Father, son, and son-in-law cursed Su Kuang for a while, mocked the Deputy Director, and finally muttered among themselves that Grand Judge Dou was really causing too much trouble. They drank until they were drunk; the father and son-in-law, missing Zhù Ying, grew more agitated the more they thought about it, and old Wu ended up thrashing his son: “Your old father sent you off with young Zhù Daren so you could have an easy life, while your old man is left here in the capital eating grass.”

Xiao Wu cried and laughed at once. “Is it really that bad?”

Old Wu cursed: “Bah! Just you wait — things aren’t finished yet! Everyone’s keeping their head down for now! You’d better not go wandering about when you get back.”

“I know, but I still need to deliver Daren’s cards to various places.”

“Talking back, are you? Finish your proper business and come straight home!”

“Yes.”

The next day, Xiao Wu’s sister came home from the Court of Judicial Review. The moment she arrived she launched into a stream of complaints, cursing Su Kuang and the others again: “Just look at how it’s turned out — there’s nothing at all for the New Year this year. When young Zhù Daren was there, the Court of Judicial Review could practically supply every household’s New Year provisions at this time of year. First the charcoal went down a grade, then they said that benefit was being cancelled altogether. And the New Year pork, rice, chickens…”

The more she tallied, the more upset she grew: “May that knife-deserving Su Centipede rot! Useless Deputy Director — limp as cotton!” Then she lowered her voice to mutter one line about Grand Judge Dou: “And he doesn’t even rein them in.”

Xiao Wu listened with two heads full of noise and ran off as fast as he could to stand watch at Liu Songnian’s door.

Liu Songnian’s residence was somewhat easier to enter than Wang Yunhe’s. At first Xiao Wu was daunted when he saw so many scholars waiting at the gate unable to get in. Unexpectedly, the moment he submitted his card, someone inside said: “Please come in.”

Xiao Wu became even more deferential. He walked through the gate without once straightening his back. The gift list was presented, and Liu Songnian didn’t even glance at it; he pointed at the cloth-wrapped board Xiao Wu held in his arms and asked: “What is that?”

Xiao Wu said: “Our lord bought it at the market for one string of cash.”

Liu Songnian snatched it from him with suspicion, opened it, and said: “What is this… hmph! It must be something maddening.” He set the dirty, battered plank on his lacquered desk and took the letter, reading it slowly. The expression on his face grew more and more animated, and in the end he did not scold at all — only grumbled one line: “Just knows how to make work for me! When are you going back?”

Xiao Wu said: “After the New Year.”

“Come back again before you leave.”

“Yes.” Xiao Wu hesitated, then steeled himself and presented the crowning gift: “This is something our lord made herself.”

Liu Songnian snatched that too, opened it, and again did not scold — he took it and hung it at his own waist, saying: “At least some conscience there.” He ordered a servant to bring money as a gratuity for Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu thought to himself: What luck am I having today?!

Riding the momentum, he hurried to the Deputy Director’s residence, where he again received the message “come back before you return to your post — I have a letter to send back with you.” The same answer came from Hu Lian’s.

Xiao Wu spent several consecutive days dashing from place to place. In the end he called at Tian Pei’s and at old Wang’s — the former Grand Judge now retired — delivering small gifts to both. At these two households, Xiao Wu made a special point of conveying Zhù Ying’s own words: “Only just arrived in Fulu County last year, with nothing sorted out to send. This year things are a little freer — please do not think the gift too mean.”

Once all these errands were done, the New Year arrived. Xiao Wu spent a peaceful New Year holiday. The capital’s splendour and Fulu County were as different as heaven and earth.

After the New Year, he made the rounds to collect the reply letters, received another round of gratuities, and on the ninth day of the first month he and Cao Chang set out to return to Fulu County. Going, the carts had been fully loaded; coming back, there was nothing but letters — and so the return trip was actually faster. The journey there had taken two months; the return took just over one.

The road grew warmer the further they walked. Partway back, a fast rider on horseback overtook them, raising a cloud of dust that made both men curse with mouths full of grit. When the two reached the next post station, they heard everyone inside discussing joyful news with excitement — the Crown Prince had a son!

Xiao Wu and Cao Chang both started, then broke into silly grins. The Eastern Palace had an heir — for the dynasty and for the people alike, this was a great blessing!

Both men walked the rest of the road back with redoubled energy.

By the time they reached Fulu County, the second month had not yet ended; both had already shed their thick winter coats and wore only lined jackets. Fulu County itself was immersed in a very light-hearted atmosphere. The Eastern Palace finally had a son, and even the inhabitants of so remote a place considered it a fine thing.

People who saw Xiao Wu and Cao Chang called out greetings: “You’re back? Go see Daren quickly!”

Back at the county yamen, Zhù Ying was in the administrative office looking over accounts. Su Mingluan and Zhao Su were both standing in attendance nearby, while Qi Tai was reporting the accounts to her.

The wave of “oranges” sold over the New Year period had done fairly well. Not counting the construction of the sojourners’ hall, the road repairs, or the warehouse renovation, the monetary loss amounted to only a few hundred strings of cash.

Su Mingluan said: “Doesn’t that mean all this effort was for nothing?”

Zhao Su said: “It’s only the beginning — a few hundred strings is not a real loss. Next year we’ll lose less, and after another two years it will be pure profit. Besides, there’s still some stock in the warehouse; the further along we go, the more the oranges will be worth. There will also be healthy profits in the spring and summer.”

Zhù Ying said: “Is that how the two of you see it?”

Su Mingluan asked: “Uncle, if you say it like that you must have something else to add — go on, say it!”

Zhù Ying raised both palms before her and held them flat, saying: “You two — one of you will one day manage an entire tribe, and the other has your sights on an official career. How can either of you look only at the money made from a small patch of land right in front of you?”

Su Mingluan said: “Isn’t Uncle doing all this just to get more money for the county? My growing tea is also to bring more money to the village.”

Zhù Ying said: “When the amounts of money are roughly equal, it is no longer about the quantity but about where the money is.”

Su Mingluan did not follow, so Zhù Ying said: “This time it looks like we lost a few hundred strings of cash. Setting aside the fact that when spread across all the households the loss per family is negligible — let’s just talk about where that money went. Individual smallholders received money from selling oranges, warehouse workers received their wages, cart drivers, porters, even the tea sellers by the roadside received money. Some of them used it to buy rice, some to buy salt, some to buy household goods; the farmers had earnings, the teahouses and wine shops had earnings. It looks like one coin, but in reality it has already become three, five, ten coins…”

She had also repaired the road — and the road wasn’t only for transporting oranges; it could serve many other purposes. There was also the warehouse, collecting rent. Various commercial taxes as well — even though she didn’t collect on transactions of under ten coins, it still added up to income. On the surface, she had lost money; in reality, through all of this she had actually earned a considerable sum.

Su Mingluan said: “I still don’t quite understand, but it sounds very good.”

Zhù Ying said: “It is indeed very good.” She took out a copper coin and said: “If you only stare at this, you will inevitably fail to hold onto it. Think slowly on this principle.”

“Yes.”

Tong Bo came running over. “My lord! Xiao Wu and the others are back!”

Zhù Ying said to her cousin and nephew: “That’s enough for today. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”

The two of them departed, brushing shoulders with Xiao Wu and the others as they passed. Xiao Wu said steadily and respectfully: “Young Master.” He kept his composure until Su Mingluan and Zhao Su had walked well out of earshot — then he bounced over to the administrative office: “My lord! My lord! We’re back!”

The two of them placed a bundle of letters on Zhù Ying’s desk and began recounting their visits to various people in the capital in order. From Cao Chang there was essentially nothing — only: “They all send their regards.”

Xiao Wu’s account was far more lively: “There were so many people queuing at Chancellor Wang’s residence, and yet we were called inside right away,” and “Chancellor Chen said that Daren is still young, and must take great care to build a solid foundation,” and “Everyone at Lord Tian’s house was in tears.”

Zhù Ying read through the letters while she listened. Wang Yunhe and Chen Yuan both urged her to proceed steadily without impatience. Wang Yunhe wrote that being able to “soothe and govern remote lands” was admirable, but her core focus still had to be Fulu County itself — she must not neglect the county’s own people simply because the Emperor preferred the merit of civilizing the frontier tribes. Chen Yuan put it bluntly: she had no connections in the court, so she must treat her local record of achievement as her foundation. She should lie low and serve out at least three years — and all three years had to be outstanding.

Pei Qing and Leng Yun had no letters this time. Right on cue, Xiao Wu got to the matter of the upheaval at the Court of Judicial Review.

Zhù Ying thought to herself: That explains it.

The current Grand Judge Dou Peng was like Zheng Xi in the old days — both were capable and ambitious men who, upon taking charge of a yamen, had to bring every level of it firmly under their own control and make everyone answer to them. Yet the Court of Judicial Review had its personnel completely filled up by Zheng Xi, that unscrupulous man, before he walked out the door!

Precisely because Dou Peng was clear-headed and capable, he would stir up these upheavals. The Deputy Director had done well to hold on as long as he had; he naturally had no time to spare any thought for her.

She also finally understood why the group of convicts in exile that had arrived just a few days ago were so entirely unlike those before: these were genuine “hardened criminals and violent offenders” — the kind that Wang Yunhe had once encountered trying to beat someone to death in the streets of the capital. Men who had no idea how to farm or work, who did nothing but fight and kill, who engaged in all manner of depravity and plunder short of nothing.

Barely arrived in Fulu County, dropped into the convicts’ camp, and within three days they were already trying to take advantage of the veterinarian’s wife. It was fortunate that Dan Ba and his men had heard the commotion and come to the rescue — only to be beaten up themselves by those convicts. It was only because Commander Ding’s camp was right next to the convicts’ camp, and he sent capable soldiers over when he heard the noise, that disaster was averted.

Zhù Ying had no choice but to establish “rules” for the convicts — any exile who arrived was to receive forty strokes of the “awe-inspiring rod” upon reaching the place.

She turned over the letters one by one. By the time she had finished reading, though the letters were not yet done, Xiao Wu and Cao Chang had said their piece. Zhù Ying said: “Good. I understand. Go to the back and rest.”

Both knew her habits; they bowed in unison and withdrew, leaving her to continue reading.

Zheng Xi’s letter was getting more and more long-winded, with reminders about one thing and another. Liu Songnian’s letter was quite entertaining: it first said that the Ying tribe legend was very interesting, then casually mentioned — as if in passing — that the oranges were rather good, and had she any to send him two? Only at the very end did he address Zhao Su’s written compositions.

Liu Songnian offered no corrections to Zhao Su’s essay; instead, he gave Zhù Ying a suggestion: why not have him go study at the College for Foreign Students? The flavour of this rhapsody was completely off — there was no way to correct it. He even gave an example: Zheng Xi and Zhou You were both human beings, but if you tried to turn Zhou You into Zheng Xi, you simply could not do it.

If he truly wanted to pursue the examination path, he could sit for the Classic texts examination — the kind that relied on memorisation — or else go to study at the Imperial Academy. As for “literary renown,” that was going to be very difficult.

Zhù Ying thought: The College for Foreign Students is out of the question. I’ll have to find a way to get him into the Imperial Academy. Unfortunately, the Imperial Academy also presents certain difficulties — it was not something that could be arranged right now.

“Hmm…” She suddenly rose, gathered the various letters, brought them to her sleeping quarters, locked them in the letter chest, then changed her clothes and walked slowly out of the yamen.

In the street outside the yamen she ran into Commander Ding.

Commander Ding said: “Brother Zhù, how do you go out without bringing anyone with you?”

Zhù Ying said: “With you here, I’m perfectly safe — what do I need an escort for? How is the new house? Does your sister-in-law like it?”

Commander Ding said: “She likes it. She likes it — but I’m the one who suffers for it. Brother, my private savings are gone.” He pointed to the scratch marks on his face, his expression thoroughly pained.

Zhù Ying had provided supplementary payments to the garrison, but this particular contingent’s homes were not in Fulu County. They had mostly been conscripted from the same area and sent together to serve in another region, so this company of a hundred men shared a fairly concentrated origin. Zhù Ying had specially sent someone to that place to establish a sojourners’ hall as well — selling oranges while also providing the soldiers with a remittance service. That is, if they wanted to send money home from what they earned in Fulu County, they could do so through the Fulu County sojourners’ hall, so they no longer had to entrust the task to others and risk having their hard-earned wages swallowed.

Zhù Ying also did not have people physically carrying cash down the road. Instead, she issued a voucher; the recipient could exchange the voucher for cash at the destination. For every hundred li, she charged one percent of the total. One hundred coins, one hundred li, and at the destination you received ninety-nine coins.

Even so, it was far safer and more reliable than entrusting money to a stranger.

Commander Ding’s situation was different from the ordinary soldiers. He was a junior officer, and he had leased a small house in the county seat, originally intending to set up a concubine there to attend to his needs — his legal wife back home would care for his parents, and he would have someone here to look after his daily life; if they happened to have a child together, it would not prevent him from adding to the Ding family line.

A pleasing plan.

Just a couple of days ago the house had been newly leased using this period’s supplementary pay, and a local matchmaker had brought a young woman to discuss a potential arrangement with him — only for his wife to arrive and catch them in the act! The “intended concubine” was chased off, the matchmaker was chased off, and Commander Ding was beaten until he hid under the bed.

Madam Ding had become immediately renowned throughout the neighbourhood from that single battle, and for the past two days she had been fully in command, arranging the new residence.

That was why Zhù Ying had asked.

Commander Ding said: “Come drink wine with us tomorrow to warm the new house!”

“I will certainly be there.”

“I’d better go home and report to the tigress — if I’m even a quarter of an hour late, there’ll be another scene.” Commander Ding said gloomily.

Zhù Ying clasped her hands behind her back and strolled to the edge of town. The wheat growing in the official public land was thriving, gradually turning from green to gold. At the edge of the field Zhù Ying spotted Dan Ba again. Dan Ba said anxiously: “My lord! The wheat is doing wonderfully — it’ll be ready to harvest soon! Please don’t pull it up yet!”

With spring planting coming into view, Dan Ba looked at the heavy, grain-laden ears with extreme reluctance, afraid that Zhù Ying would take a sudden notion to uproot the wheat and prepare the land for rice paddy.

Zhù Ying pinched an ear of wheat. “Excellent!” She was not foolish enough to think otherwise — planting rice a couple of days later was perfectly manageable; rice planting never happened all in one sudden rush on a single day but unfolded over a process. As long as they made the final deadline, it would be fine.

She said: “It looks like this autumn the wheat should be sown a few days earlier.”

Dan Ba said: “This lowly one will definitely remember! This is only the first year!”

Zhù Ying was just about to say something more when Tong Bo came galloping up on horseback: “My lord! My lord! Trouble! The Prefect has sent someone! Senior Clerk Guan asks you to come back quickly!”

She was not afraid of the Prefect Lu’s man. She turned and swung up onto Tong Bo’s horse, her expression perfectly composed. At the yamen gate she dismounted, tossed the reins to Hou Wu, and walked into the yamen at a leisurely pace.

Walking into the main hall, she found that alongside the accompanying Senior Clerk Guan, the person sent from the Prefect’s yamen was none other than the Judicial Affairs Assistant Official! And standing beside the Judicial Affairs Assistant Official were several travel-dusted men: an older one with a beard, around thirty to forty years old, and a younger one of about twenty, each accompanied by several attendants.

Zhù Ying glanced at the group and asked: “Someone has lodged a complaint against me?”

The Judicial Affairs Assistant Official was surnamed Kang and given name Hua, his expression grave. “These two gentlemen are censors… Wait — you…”

The older censor said: “Magistrate Zhù? Truly your reputation precedes you. I am Ruan Zhi, serving as Investigating Censor, and this is Fan Lu, Surveillance Censor. There is a case we have come to consult with you about.”

Zhù Ying glanced at Kang Hua, then at the two censors, and said: “Since this is all a matter of criminal proceedings, I won’t beat around the bush — are you here to investigate a case, or to investigate me? Where is the official document?”

Kang Hua said: “What kind of time is this for jokes?”

Zhù Ying gave him a look and thought: So you don’t know.

Kang Hua indeed did not know. The two censors had arrived at the prefect’s yamen and requested the prefect’s cooperation, but when Prefect Lu asked their business, they gave no explanation. Prefect Lu had then dispatched Kang Hua to accompany them.

Kang Hua had been following along with them the whole way there.

Ruan Zhi said: “There is a case in which we need to ask you a few questions, Magistrate Zhù — it does not concern you personally.”

“Please proceed.”

Kang Hua squeezed himself forward: “By the Prefect’s order: since Magistrate Zhù is an official of this prefecture, if the censors have questions, I must be present.”

It turned out Prefect Lu had instructed Kang Hua: “Use your judgment. If it touches on affairs of this prefecture, do not let anyone simply drag away one of our prefecture’s officials without an imperial edict! And don’t let them conduct unauthorized interrogations! Stay with them!”

Fan Lu’s smile was slightly peculiar. “You want to listen? I am afraid we cannot let you.”

Kang Hua stubbornly refused to withdraw, and the two sides reached a standoff. Ruan Zhi turned to Zhù Ying and said: “Su Kuang.”

Zhù Ying showed faint surprise. “Him?”

Kang Hua said: “What is this about?”

Ruan Zhi said: “Do you really want this discussed right here?”

Zhù Ying lowered her voice to Kang Hua: “This concerns old business from the capital.”

Only then did Kang Hua grudgingly concede: “Very well — I shall wait and accompany the two censors back to the prefecture to see Prefect Lu!”