Wang Dahu was dead-weight heavy. Even before the blood had finished draining, all struggling had left him.

Dozens of soldiers and a handful of elderly village folk all seemed struck dumb, standing motionless. The old woman scrambled and rolled to her husband’s side, and the two of them embraced and wept together. Half the village children had been scared silent; the other half cheered with great excitement: “We watched someone get killed!”

Zhao Su handed the items Zhù Ying had removed earlier to Xiao Jiang: “Hold these carefully.” He and Xiao Wu ran toward Zhù Ying. Xiao Jiang and the small dark-haired maidservant followed right behind.

Zhù Ying had been holding Wang Dahu’s topknot with just one hand and a few fingers — bearing the full weight of a healthy and powerful man — and her hand had gone numb. She shifted her gaze from Captain Chang to the people running toward her, and slowly released her grip. Wang Dahu dropped like a sack of grain. He was not quite dead — his body gave one last obscure twitch.

A flash of cold light: Zhao Su had drawn the blade at his waist — a false alarm. Wang Dahu did not surge upward to attack.

Xiao Wu’s face wore an expression of combined astonishment, awe, and a strange sort of exhilaration. He called out: “Magistrate!”

Zhao Su, blade in hand, tip leveled at Wang Dahu, tilted his head slightly back and said to the coroner: “Come and look.”

The coroner and his apprentice came up cautiously. He put his hand to the body and said: “Dead.”

Zhao Su sheathed his blade and said: “Adoptive Father — the criminal has been brought to justice.”

At that moment, those watching seemed to wake from a dream.

Captain Ding took several great strides forward and said in a hearty voice: “A single strike, and the kill is clean! To think the magistrate possesses such skill and such martial ability! Now that is a true hero!”

“It’s the blade,” Zhù Ying said.

They all looked toward the long blade still standing in the earth. Zhù Ying rotated her left wrist and lifted it out. The soldiers none of them moved. Captain Chang’s men froze for a moment, then all looked toward their captain. Captain Chang also stood there somewhat at a loss. He had taken this smooth-faced figure for nothing — and there turned out to be nothing soft about her at all.

Ruthless people, Captain Chang had seen plenty of. A ruthless person who showed none of it from the outside was exceedingly rare. If someone was visibly ferocious, it was actually less frightening. Captain Chang’s horse shifted uneasily underneath him. Captain Chang’s hand trembled slightly and he gripped the reins tighter. He had thought this whole business was simply a matter — infuriating, but solvable with enough drive and force. Chasing down escaped criminals — how big was that, really?

Now things had become complicated. He did not know where Zhù Ying’s limits lay, and at the moment he had no clear plan.

From the village entrance came a fresh commotion. Everyone let out a collective breath of relief and looked — a party of people arrived, travel-worn and dusty. At their head was the Fulu County constable, and behind him was Gao Shan, followed by county runners, local militia, and others. They had finally found their way here. Some had finished their village notifications and tracked back; others had been sent directly from the county seat. Administrator Guan had not dared to leave his post and had sent the constable and the others in his place.

The two groups had spent two days looking for each other and had at last coalesced into one large body. They had been asking directions along the way, trailing further and further behind. From the village entrance came the procession — people from the villages, who saw a large body of officials and runners heading toward their own area, assumed something was happening, and followed along as well. A straggling, extended line.

They pushed into the village toward the largest crowd. The soldiers made way for the county officials, who felt good about this, and strode forward — only to have the constable slam to a sudden halt!

His first sight was Zhù Ying. Zhù Ying stood there, a long blade in her left hand and a short blade in her right, an expression suggesting that yes, there was indeed something to this. Following the line of the hanging blade tip downward, he examined the — disarray on the ground. A body in a rather unsettling posture, and a great deal of blood. The constable looked up at Zhù Ying. She wore an expression of perfect calm. The constable gave an involuntary shudder, straightened himself, and took small shuffling steps forward, clasping his hands: “Magistrate — this subordinate arrived too late.”

Xiao Wu asked the old farmer where water could be found — there was a sweet well not far from the old farmer’s house — and drew a full bucket over. Zhao Su sheathed his blade and stood at attention. Xiao Jiang brought the items Zhù Ying had removed and stepped forward. Zhù Ying scooped up water to wash the blood and mud from both blades, and said to Xiao Jiang while she worked: “All those jingly things — they were in the way. Put them aside.”

She took a cloth and wiped the blades clean, then said to the constable: “You’ve arrived at exactly the right time.”

The constable hardened himself and came forward. Gao Shan and Tong Li and others moved up with him and listened as Zhù Ying said: “Did you bring official papers?”

The constable said: “Yes — Administrator Guan received your order and had the documents prepared.”

Zhù Ying finished wiping the short blade, sheathed it, and rebuckled it at her waist. She jutted her chin in Captain Chang’s direction: “Go and ask Captain Chang to come over.”

Captain Ding, seeing this, stepped slightly to the side. Gao Shan went to Captain Chang: “Captain — our magistrate requests the captain to come and speak.” He was privately puzzled — where had this captain come from?

Captain Chang cleared his throat a couple of times, set his arms at a deliberate angle, and put on a measured eight-character stride, walking over with full ceremony. His face was a study in seriousness: “Magistrate Zhù.”

Zhù Ying lifted the long blade and said: “The captain said there were three criminals. One has now been brought to justice here. As for the other two — will the captain accompany me to apprehend them, or return to Sicheng County and wait for word?”

Captain Chang was burning with private fury. One look at Zhù Ying and he couldn’t summon the fire. She was too calm — and the calm was not performed.

Captain Chang said: “Fugitives from Sicheng County are my responsibility to apprehend.”

Zhù Ying said: “Ink and brush.”

Captain Chang was puzzled. He looked at Zhù Ying. Zhù Ying explained patiently: “The criminals fled into Fulu County, and I am in charge here. For the captain to make arrests in my territory, there must be an official document. Since the captain came in some haste and was perhaps not fully prepared — write it now and I’ll accept it. As for Magistrate Qiu’s office in Sicheng County, you need not worry — I have already directed Administrator Guan to send a formal notice.”

Captain Chang burst out: “You’ve already told him?!”

Zhù Ying gave him a look. Captain Chang swallowed it.

He was not willing to write anything. The whole reason he had plunged ahead without formalities was precisely to get to the criminals before anyone could react — dead or alive, just get them back, and afterward everything could be discussed. The last thing he had wanted was to leave a paper trail. And now he was being asked to leave exactly that?

“I can’t write,” he said.

Captain Ding gave a start: “How could you…”

Zhù Ying said: “Did you bring your seal?”

Captain Chang’s expression grew even more unpleasant. Zhù Ying said: “Captain, how have official papers been issued for you previously? You must have a secretary who writes for you — send someone to have your secretary prepare the official document and bring it here. You and I serve the same court — as long as you have not violated military law, you may freely leave Sicheng County and come to Fulu County. I am glad to offer fine food and drink. But to conduct an arrest, there must be an official document. If there is nothing at all, and you have led troops across the border without authorization—”

Zhù Ying shook her head slightly: “That won’t do.”

Captain Chang’s face turned the color of pig’s liver. He was caught between advancing and retreating. He could see that Captain Ding’s numbers were on a par with his own; and now with Fulu County’s county runners and constables added to the mix, the headcount was no longer in his favor. He was already far out on a limb having come alone into someone else’s territory — he couldn’t very well start throwing his weight around now. It was clear that suppressing this affair was no longer possible. His only hope was to be allowed to participate in the capture of the remaining criminals — and if he couldn’t get all of them, at least one.

He said: “Of course I would not demand anything. Wang Dahu has already been killed. I will take him back, deal with the documentation, and return to cooperate with Magistrate Zhù in apprehending the remaining two criminals.”

Zhù Ying said: “Any criminal who has committed a capital crime in Fulu County — dead or alive — belongs to me. Wang Dahu has been dealt with on my side. Gao Shan — parade the body through the streets and display it publicly.”

Captain Chang said: “Wang Dahu also has a capital case in Sicheng County! And his fellow criminals have not yet been brought in!”

“Mao Liu and Lou Qi? I want them to know — Fulu County does not tolerate this kind of lawlessness. Anyone who comes here must abide by my law. You may not harm my people. Otherwise — Wang Dahu is their example. A dragon — coil for me. A tiger — lie low for me.”

Whether soldier, civilian, or official, all who heard this felt a surge of spirit. Many joined in a spontaneous cheer: “Well said!”

Zhù Ying glanced at Gao Shan. Gao Shan leapt to his feet at once and grabbed the coroner: “You, come!” First a death certificate, then he called several county runners to bolster his nerve, and set about arranging to parade Wang Dahu’s body through the streets, to deter any who harbored ill intent.

Zhù Ying said: “Do you know what to do? Get two men with strong voices, beat the drum and announce the news to settle the people’s hearts. When it’s done, hang the body from the city gate — to intimidate any bandits.”

Gao Shan said carefully: “Hanging by the neck might sever the head.”

Zhù Ying said: “Pierce him through the shoulder blades.”

Gao Shan’s face lit up: “Yes!” He truly did take people along, requisitioned a cart, and had the body hauled upright onto it.

Zhù Ying wiped the long blade clean again and buckled it back in place. She said to Captain Ding: “I still have a case to close here — thank you, Captain Ding, for your trouble. On my behalf, please see Captain Chang properly to the county border.”

Captain Chang was in an extremely awkward position. He knew he had underestimated Zhù Ying from the start — but this smooth-faced figure had no idea how to treat people — absolutely no face given. Zhù Ying gave him another look. Whatever resentment he had — it froze.

Zhù Ying nodded to him, rinsed her hand clean in the bucket, dried it, and gave a polite clasped-hand bow: “Forgive me for not being able to see you further.”

She walked to where the old couple was huddled together and asked: “Are you all right? Were you hurt?”

The old couple knelt, kotowing repeatedly: “It is this old one whose mind was clouded by greed! One chicken, one meal — and a donkey? I should have known there was something wrong! Many thanks to the magistrate! Many thanks!”

Zhù Ying said: “You are people of years — there is no need to do this. A’Granny has had a terrible fright — let her rest and recover quickly.” Knowing there was no village physician to be had here, nor a medicine shop, she instructed the old woman to “drink some hot water, eat something, and let that steady you.” Then she said to the old farmer: “This is a dangerous criminal — the donkey was stolen. It must be returned to its rightful owner. Let this be a lesson to you.”

She gave her instructions as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She found no fault with an old man who had believed a single ordinary meal was worth a donkey — she simply noted that the man needed to be corrected, with a tone no different from usual.

Captain Chang, still fixed on the idea of quietly making off with the criminal, now sensed something was completely off. He gave a muffled grunt and, with nothing more to say, took his men and left. Captain Ding took the opportunity to “escort” him out of Fulu County. On the way, Captain Chang tried to jab at Captain Ding a little, but Ding was entirely breezy about it. Today had opened his eyes — so the former superior wasn’t so impressive after all. Captain Ding felt as though he had found a father figure he’d long been separated from and was now looking with fresh indifference at the stepfather who had always looked down on him. He didn’t flip the table, but he wasn’t deferential either. Captain Chang was left with one more mouthful of frustration to swallow.

Zhù Ying still needed to conduct a thorough search of the village. Zhao Su and the constable both volunteered eagerly. Xiao Wu dragged over the best available chair from the village and placed it under a shady tree for her to sit.

Zhù Ying said: “Bring ink and brush.” This was a good moment to draft a quick official report to the Nanfu prefectural office and the state, to stay ahead of anything Captain Chang might try once he got back.

Writing official documents without worrying about literary style, Zhù Ying was both fast and precise — the draft was finished before Zhao Su and the others returned.

Zhù Ying saw that some of the able-bodied men had come back, along with the ward headman. She asked a few questions about the harvest and such. The headman came forward with trembling legs, bent his knees — and thudded to the ground: “Magistrate — this year’s harvest is good across the board. Two households also received wheat seed and will be planting it shortly. This one’s household is planting wheat as well. We didn’t know there were bandits before, but now that we know, we’ll be on guard.”

Zhù Ying also asked a few things about village affairs and said: “Both of them have generous hearts — there was nothing wrong with being hospitable. They’ve also had a terrible fright. Don’t be hard on them.”

“Yes.”

Zhao Su and the others came back from the search and reported: “No additional bandits found.”

Zhù Ying said: “Let’s go.”

Back in the saddle, Zhao Su asked: “Adoptive Father — where are we heading?”

“First return the donkey to its owner, then go to Hexi Village and look things over there — we’ve already lost too many days,” Zhù Ying said. “Wang Dahu fled this way. The other two did not follow the same route, so chasing blindly after them in that direction from here makes no sense. Better to go back to the site of the original crime and start from the beginning.”

She was deliberately explaining her reasoning — she intended to teach the legal adjutant and county runners as she went, so she elaborated at every step.

The headman from Hexi Village finally got his chance to push forward and said: “Magistrate — this one will lead the way ahead!”

The party rode out. They brought the donkey with them and went to the neighboring village first to return it. That village was in the midst of mourning — a white lantern hung at the entrance. When they saw Zhù Ying returning, they hurried back to the village to spread the word. Zhù Ying said: “Look sharp. The old man has also died.”

The child who had died young would receive no ceremony. The old man must have succumbed to his wounds. The villagers’ expressions, however, were less grief than a kind of release — earlier, Gao Shan had already made a pass with Wang Dahu’s body for the village to witness. Because the weather was still not cold, Gao Shan had been rushing to complete his circuit of all the places before the body deteriorated. He had not let them look long before moving on. Still — the killer’s face had been seen and justice had been done. That was some comfort to the dead.

Zhù Ying again offered incense, then gave the widow a string of cash. After this, she had the donkey returned to its owner. The household had already seen their donkey from a distance, and when they heard the word “returned” they couldn’t help but break into a laugh — which they immediately suppressed and turned into a bow of thanks. Zhù Ying sighed quietly. She said to the three brothers of the dead man’s family: “You three — take good care of your mother from now on. I don’t want to hear of any of you shortchanging her at the end of the month or trying to squeeze her share. If you can’t divide your father’s estate fairly, I will divide it for you.”

The three brothers said hastily: “We would not dare fail our filial duty.”

Zhù Ying said: “All right — see to your affairs.” Because of the crime, the harvest had been delayed.

After settling matters in this village, they rode on with the Hexi headman leading the way. At each fork in the road Zhao Su or Xiao Wu or Tong Li was sent ahead on horseback to ask whether anything unusual had happened. Three or four villages were questioned and reported nothing out of the ordinary — except that a group of officials had also come to ask questions, and there had been minor looting of a few cucumbers and vegetables.

Before the party even reached Hexi Village, Captain Ding came riding back with his team. The two groups met head-on. Zhù Ying was generally the kind of person who appeared perfectly still. Captain Ding, who had been filled with awe watching her kill someone, found that after a long gallop and then seeing her face again, the fear didn’t hold — and his manner of speaking toward her became decidedly more deferential: “Magistrate — Captain Chang has been sent off. I personally watched him cross the river.”

Zhù Ying said: “Thank you for your trouble.”

“Not at all, not at all. Whatever we do for Fulu County — we should do our part. The magistrate also treats us like her own people. What are we doing next?”

Zhù Ying said: “On to Hexi Village.”

Captain Ding had just come from Hexi Village and was heading back — he had not a word of complaint: “I know the way. This way please.”

The whole party, a great and noisy company, arrived at Hexi Village. The villagers muttered among themselves: “Another batch? Can’t you get something useful done?” But cowed by the authority of officials and soldiers, no one dared say it out loud. Their village had suffered the deepest — the able-bodied men didn’t dare all go to the fields at once, keeping a few behind each day to stand guard in the village. This put them perpetually on edge and also disrupted the real work of the harvest. In their hearts they had cursed the bandits’ ancestors back eighteen generations.

The headman ran back in, calling: “The magistrate has come in person! The magistrate has come herself! One of the killers — Wang Dahu — has already been killed! And the legal adjutant is parading the body through for everyone to see! We also know who the other two are!”

The villagers had been blaming the headman too — “He goes off for days and doesn’t accomplish anything, and the body is already going off.” Now the village turned from resentment to relief. They all came out to welcome the arrivals.

Hexi Village also had literacy monument tablets, standing in the village’s open central ground. Zhù Ying held her assembly there. These tablets had no firewood piled in front of them, but some had been polished smooth with handling and showed a kind of patina from touch. Others were simply ignored. Zhù Ying observed that the ones people cared about were those related to farming seasons and counting — the celebratory odes to the Emperor had no readers at all.

She began: “Who actually witnessed events with their own eyes?”

From the crowd, a few people were pushed forward — an elderly man who used a walking stick, and children young enough to be held in their mothers’ arms, still shivering. Zhù Ying had the three portraits from Captain Chang brought out and spread for identification. The old man tucked his walking stick under his arm, held the papers at arm’s length and studied them: “That’s them! Those are the animals!”

Zhù Ying called out those who could give a reasonably coherent account and said: “Take me to see.”

Several days had passed. Judging by the mourning preparations, the bodies had either been properly laid out or had begun to decompose. Better to look at the scene first.

She went first to a house at the edge of the village where the mourning white streamers hung. An old man said: “Here is where it started — some strangers from outside, we didn’t know who they were, someone from this family started screaming and we came to look…”

Zhù Ying surveyed the area. People had been coming and going for the funeral — footprints everywhere, a hopeless tangle. Zhao Su’s eyes glazed over. The legal adjutant was in even worse shape. Zhù Ying said: “Watch carefully. These are Wang Dahu’s footprints — we’ve seen the sandals he discarded. All you need to do is find these shoe prints, and whatever prints came and went alongside them must belong to his accomplices.”

Zhao Su grasped the logic, and picked out a few more straw-sandal prints. But finding the “accomplices’ prints” — how? He stared and stared, and felt that sentence had never been so difficult to parse in his entire life. Zhù Ying broke off another twig and began drawing circles again, and said as she circled: “Look at the position of the prints and the direction of movement.”

That was the most basic principle. Beyond it were other details Zhù Ying had accumulated from long observation.

In the end, she pointed at two sets of prints: “These two. Based on the height and weight of the two criminals, this one belongs to Mao Liu, and this one belongs to Lou Qi.”

“Height? And — weight?”

Zhù Ying said: “A person’s height and build affects which part of the foot bears the most weight when walking. Tall people have longer legs — their stride is also longer.”

She reduced everything to small specific observations, and somehow these small observations added up to the complete truth. Then she went to view the dead. One of them was an elderly woman. Zhù Ying and the coroner had no choice but to stand outside. Xiao Jiang stepped forward and said softly: “I’ll go in and look.”

The old woman bore only the injuries from the beating and nothing else. Xiao Jiang came out and reported: “Her lower abdomen — prolapsed. Likely from a difficult childbirth. It had nothing to do with this.”

The coroner said: “Irrelevant.”

Zhù Ying said: “It is relevant. Go on.”

Xiao Jiang said: “She was beaten to death. Internal hemorrhaging. When she was dying it would have been very painful, but she went quickly — she did not suffer for long.”

Zhù Ying nodded. She said to the guide: “Good. And now, old one — tell me where they went next.”

The old man said: “Here.”

Zhù Ying followed the route of the three criminals’ attacks through the village — the first three deaths and injuries had occurred close to the victims’ own homes. Later, people who came running to help were struck down further away from their own homes. Most of the blood had been cleaned up. Zhù Ying said to the legal adjutant: “Remember to issue a public notice through the whole county — in future, when a capital case occurs, no one is to disturb the scene.”

The adjutant said: “Yes.”

The area where the fire had burned was even worse — doused with water in the rush to put it out, the scene was a total ruin. Compared with Jin Liang’s house fire years earlier, which had been an excellent preserved scene, this one was a genuine puzzle. The household had lost no one, yet was barely better off than the households that had — the whole family was crammed into the one remaining room, too wrung out even to weep.

Hexi Village was not prosperous. At the time of the attack, there had been no riding animals left in the village, so the three criminals had left on foot. Zhù Ying noted this with regret — pack animals in Fulu County were outnumbered by people by a wide margin, and they were far easier to identify. They also left deeper prints and could not control their own waste, so they were easier to track.

Zhù Ying ordered a string of cash given to the burned-out family as well: “Take this for daily needs for now. Once the grain is threshed, rebuild the house.”

Three people in Hexi Village — two elderly, three children — had been killed by the criminals; one child was wounded and would surely not survive. They had also taken a chopper, two kitchen knives, and an iron pitchfork. The chopper had been Wang Dahu’s weapon and was already confiscated. That left the two kitchen knives and the pitchfork.

Outside the village, Zhù Ying was just barely able to determine that all three had left together and split at a fork in the road. Wang Dahu’s route needed no further investigation. That left two paths before her. She pointed at one at random: “That one.”

It was Lou Qi’s direction — she had no particular reason for the choice except that in the interviews just now, Wang Dahu had been the most vicious, followed by Lou Qi. Wang Dahu had killed, full stop — but Lou Qi also set fires.

The party followed the trail. Once the general direction was established, it didn’t matter that the tracks were intermittent — they pressed on along the main bearing and easily picked the trail back up whenever it appeared. Lou Qi’s direction was one Zhù Ying didn’t like — he was heading toward Western Township. Toward the mountains. Going to ground as a bandit was certainly a viable option for someone in his position, and if it came to that, things would be very difficult — Zhù Ying was far less at ease in forest and mountain terrain than on flat ground, and she wasn’t necessarily going to be able to catch him there.

The party passed through two more villages. Things had been stolen — clothing, shoes, food. A household that had lost money cursed the loudest of all. Zhù Ying thought: that money is probably not coming back.

Strangely, Wang Dahu had killed at every stop; Lou Qi had passed through two places and only stolen things. He had taken clothing and shoes and changed into them, but he had not taken any animals. Then, at one threshing ground, his trail came to an abrupt end.

Lost him.

Those following held their breath, not one of them daring to make a sound, all afraid of the embarrassment this would cause for Zhù Ying. Zhù Ying, unhurried, said: “Ask the headman to come — find out if anyone has seen a stranger. Oh, and now that I think of it — we’re very close to Squire Wang’s home. Call Squire Wang over too!”

Captain Ding said: “Is it possible he was sheltered there, that they’re hiding him?”

Zhao Su said: “Captain, that kind of thing can’t just be said.”

He and Squire Wang were not on good terms, but Squire Wang and the Zhao family had some very distant kinship connection, and they were both local gentry of the county — one maintained a proper public face.

Both men arrived shortly. The headman came rolling over; Squire Wang also appeared, face pale and grey. Zhù Ying said: “No need to rush — I’ve only come to ask a question. This isn’t a summons for your offense.”

The headman said: “Magistrate — have the bad people fled here? We haven’t seen anyone!”

Zhù Ying had the portrait shown to him. The headman’s expression was troubled: “I truly can’t recognize him.”

Lou Qi looked indistinguishably ordinary. It was extremely difficult to fix him in memory from a portrait. Zhù Ying also showed it to Squire Wang. Squire Wang said stiffly: “Never seen him.”

Zhù Ying asked: “Has anyone gotten a ride on a cart recently?”

Squire Wang immediately said: “No!”

Zhù Ying and Zhao Su exchanged a glance. Squire Wang had answered far too fast. The headman tried to smooth things over: “It’s getting dark, Magistrate — where will you be spending the night? In…” He flicked a glance at Squire Wang. Squire Wang said nothing.

Zhù Ying said: “Doesn’t matter where — I’m not particular. Just as long as everyone can fit, with so many people.”

The headman said: “Of course — right this way.”

Zhù Ying walked with the two of them toward the village. Squire Wang’s estate was not integrated with the commoners’ homes — a road separated his compound from the rest. A broad estate, occupying nearly half the village grounds.

Someone among the attendants gave a muffled sniff: “What’s so special about it — treating the magistrate with such little respect! Is his house made of gold?”

The words were just grumbling, really — because it was genuinely somewhat impressive. No village was particularly wealthy, and a poor county like Fulu County was more so. When literature spoke of “the village person killing a chicken and slaughtering a pig to entertain the traveler,” that “village person” was very significant. Take Gu Weng, for instance: officially without title or rank, technically a commoner by census — yet he was also a “local gentry.” The husband and wife selling oranges at ten for a copper coin in the market, carefully counting each one — they too were “commoners.”

To imagine that “Gu Weng the village person hosting a lavish feast for guests” meant the average person’s life — that was to be thoroughly deceived.

The old farmer who had entertained Wang Dahu in exchange for a donkey — Zhù Ying had not scolded him, for the same reason: too poor, and too desperate for what he lacked.

Squire Wang was registered as a member of this village, but his compound was still very different from the typical prosperous village household. It was not unreasonable for the county runners to feel aggrieved on Zhù Ying’s behalf.

Zhù Ying herself had no complaint. She said in a low voice to Xiao Jiang: “In a moment, go and chat with the women of the village — ask what happened at Squire Wang’s compound.”

These local gentry would ordinarily be falling over themselves to curry favor. Not making a move now — something was concealed.

Xiao Jiang said: “Yes.”

The headman was meanwhile arranging to clear his own house for Zhù Ying’s party. Then from the village entrance came another group of people, and the one at the front came in calling: “Where’s the Teacher? Where’s the Teacher?”

Gu Tong!

The autumn harvest break had not yet ended — he was still on leave. Gao Shan had paraded Wang Dahu’s body past the county town, and Gu Tong had been unable to sit still. He said a word to Gu Weng and came chasing after.

When he saw Zhù Ying he started complaining: “How did Squire Wang manage to put you up here? He’s usually a decent enough person — there’s less trouble around him than with most. You know his dirty secrets.”

A county’s major households amounted to only twenty or thirty families. If you wanted to marry among social equals, you were inevitably entangled in distant kinship. Apart from immediate neighbors who had shed blood over competing resources and developed genuine enmities, all the others were near-or-far blood relations. Gu Tong and Squire Wang were also some variety of relative.

For the sake of the case, Zhao Su told himself. He gave Gu Tong a meaningful glance and the two huddled in a whisper.

Gu Tong said: “Easy enough — I’ll go ask him.”

Zhù Ying said: “No need to ask him directly. Ask the household steward whether the estate has recently hired day laborers — what kind. Or ask the coachman — specifically the driver of the large cart — whether anyone hitched a ride recently. Ask about the shoe prints, then ask where they vanished. He came in on a cart, and the person is somewhere inside. The shoes disappeared, but whoever was wearing them didn’t simply vanish into thin air. A riding animal, a cart — there are possibilities.”

Gu Tong said: “Yes sir!” He hadn’t even washed his face and was already bolting outside — and nearly ran into Xiao Jiang, who was coming back. He said quickly: “Sorry!” and was gone.

Xiao Jiang came inside and said: “Magistrate — the women here say that at this time of year they are sometimes also called in to Squire Wang’s compound to help with cooking. This year was the same. The day before yesterday — or perhaps two days ago — there were sounds of crying and shouting from the inner quarters. Then a sudden scream, and then the sounds stopped. After that, the serving maids were no longer seen coming to the front. Then, without even worrying about the harvest at its peak, the household gathered people and said they were going to catch a thief. What kind of thief — no one knows. And reports were not made to the county office.”

Zhao Su said: “Something has happened in the inner quarters of the Wang household!”

Because at harvest time even the serving maids were expected to help out — joining the kitchen staff and so forth. If the serving maids had suddenly been confined — that was wrong. And he had organized his own people to catch a thief rather than reporting to the county office — that too was wrong. Could something have been stolen from him that he couldn’t bring himself to report?

When dusk fell, Gu Tong came running back: “Teacher, something is really going on!”

Zhù Ying said: “Sit down and tell me.”

Gu Tong looked left and right, jumped up to close the door, then lowered his voice with an air of great mystery: “Squire Wang has asked you to come and speak with him! Seems like a genuine serious matter — he says it can’t be discussed here. He’s already arranged rooms and is waiting to receive you!”

Zhù Ying said: “What did you do?”

Gu Tong said: “I told him — you’ll figure it out anyway. He might as well say it now and there’s still room to maneuver. Once you’ve figured it out on your own, whatever he says afterward is too late. So he asked me to come and request your company.”

Zhao Su said: “What grand airs.”

Gu Tong said: “I think it really does seem like a genuine hard situation. At this time of year, his household hasn’t had serving maids helping at dinner.”

Zhù Ying said: “All right.”

The party moved with lanterns to Squire Wang’s compound. Squire Wang showed Zhù Ying to the main hall, closed the door, and led his whole family to their knees, weeping: “Please, Magistrate — uphold justice for this household!”

Zhù Ying said: “Get up. Tell me slowly.”

Squire Wang wept: “Who could have imagined that even welcoming a traveler could lead to this? The criminal first hitched a ride on the cart hauling grain home — that’s a common enough thing here, we didn’t think anything of it. But as it happened we were short of day laborers, the criminal could do a little of everything and was decent with carpentry, and he didn’t ask much in pay. So this one kept him on. Half the night — he…”

The man had done well for the first two days. On the third day his true nature came out. He climbed the wall into the inner quarters, violated Squire Wang’s daughter — a beautiful young woman, already betrothed to another major county household — and then stole some of the girl’s jewelry and fled. How could a matter like this be made public? The engagement would be at risk if word got out.

Squire Wang was also in no mood to host the investigating county magistrate — the last thing he wanted was for her to open things up and expose the whole affair. So he hadn’t invited her in, and had even organized his own people to catch the criminal privately, without giving the county office any information. This was a family matter — it could not be allowed to get out! If Gu Tong hadn’t alarmed him, he might have dragged things out and let even more time slip away. By now who knows where Lou Qi had gone.

Zhù Ying produced Lou Qi’s portrait and asked: “Is this the man? Look carefully.”

Squire Wang said with some difficulty: “Perhaps — I truly can’t recall. He has not a single distinguishing feature.”

Zhù Ying asked: “What does the young lady remember? Does she recognize him?”

Squire Wang’s whole family wept harder. Zhù Ying said: “Please have her come out. Xiao Jiang.”

Xiao Jiang nodded and moved half a step forward, ready to provide comfort. Squire Wang’s wife went out and came back to say: “The poor child — she won’t come out.”

Zhù Ying took the portrait with her and everyone went to the back of the compound. Squire Wang’s daughter’s room was deep within the innermost courtyard. The gateway into it was very small. Once inside, however, the space was rather refined and pretty. Squire Wang pushed open the door. His wife called: “Eighth Daughter.”

Not a sound from inside. Squire Wang’s wife called again, her voice beginning to change, rising with anxiety. She hurried inside and came out saying: “She’s in the inner room.”

Men generally could not enter a young woman’s boudoir. Zhù Ying said: “We’ll wait here outside.”

Squire Wang’s wife and a serving maid half-carried the daughter out. She was perhaps sixteen or seventeen years old — fair-complexioned and slight, not a single ornament in her hair, wearing plain white. Her expression was one of intense fear. Zhù Ying had Xiao Jiang go forward and speak to her. She would not answer a single word. Squire Wang said: “You’re being asked something — when it’s answered, you may rest.”

Hearing her father’s voice, the daughter flinched and burrowed further into her mother. Zhù Ying said: “Xiao Jiang — go in with her and speak slowly. Take this.” She passed the portrait to Xiao Jiang. Xiao Jiang took it. The young woman looked at Zhù Ying for a moment, then shrank back even further. Xiao Jiang said softly: “Just look once — is this the man?”

The young woman looked, and screamed. The Wang household became unsettled. Zhù Ying said: “Xiao Jiang, come out.” Xiao Jiang had no choice but to leave. She said: “It seems she recognized him — or perhaps it was just the sight of a man’s face that frightened her. Hard to say.”

Zhù Ying said to Squire Wang: “Since the incident, how many people have come through here?”

Squire Wang said firmly: “Only family members and a few maids.”

“Which family members specifically? Which maids? Are you certain no one came that you weren’t aware of?”

Squire Wang said flatly: “No.”

Zhù Ying said: “This must move quickly. Light torches and search through the night — find him, capture him. He has dared to commit assault on my people! Outrageous!”

Squire Wang was overjoyed: “Magistrate?”

Zhù Ying said: “Is the young lady not injured? And a criminal who inflicts bodily harm on another person — is that not an assault?”

Squire Wang’s wife had come back from settling her daughter and heard this. Her weeping changed pitch. She said: “Magistrate — your great and boundless kindness.”

Zhù Ying waved her off and said: “Light the lanterns and torches — we’re going to find the criminal!”

Squire Wang said: “Magistrate, this criminal has no distinguishing marks. How shall we find him?”

Zhù Ying said: “I won’t be looking at his face. He’s out of luck here.”

Those who had entered were all Squire Wang’s own people and Zhù Ying’s party with Xiao Jiang. Squire Wang lit a torch in person. Zhù Ying took one and moved slowly through the compound, searching. She found the shoe prints matching those from Lou Qi’s earlier trail — and confirmed that this man could climb walls too!

Lou Qi had changed his shoes but could not change his feet. Zhù Ying found his trail again. She also asked Squire Wang’s wife: “What jewelry was stolen? Any money taken? Any clothing? Make a list.” Then she asked about the time of Lou Qi’s attack — it had been only yesterday!

Zhù Ying said: “He can’t have gotten far. Rest first tonight, and at first light tomorrow we’ll find him.”

Squire Wang said: “Yes!” His voice came out a little louder than he intended. A sound from inside the house stirred — then water sounds. Squire Wang’s wife said: “Let me go check.”

Zhù Ying said: “Wash the wound and apply medicine — don’t keep washing it repeatedly. Repeated washing weakens the body.”

Squire Wang’s wife choked: “Yes.”

That evening, Squire Wang laid out a generous banquet for Zhù Ying and her party. Zhù Ying said: “Food and meat is fine — no need to go to this trouble. Your money is not cheap, but in harvest season your time is even less cheap. Don’t waste time on this. Let’s eat quickly and sleep.”

Squire Wang said: “Yes.”

Zhao Su and Gu Tong both had ideas in their heads. After the meal the two squeezed forward to offer their “morning and evening salutations” to Zhù Ying, calling it “proper reverence.”

Zhù Ying said: “It’s Lou Qi. He assaulted Squire Wang’s young daughter.”

A skeptical note entered Gu Tong’s voice: “Assaulted?” A vicious bandit running into someone’s inner quarters just to beat up a young woman? Who would believe that? Now, if he’d killed her, that he’d believe.

Zhù Ying looked at him. Gu Tong lowered his head.

“Using physical violence to injure a person is assault. Those who have already suffered enough have it difficult enough already — why add to it?”

“By this — she’d qualify for a death sentence for him. Destroying a person’s honor, ruining a person’s chastity — death is too good for him.” Gu Tong had been studying legal codes lately. A convicted exile who escapes custody and then commits an act of violation against a woman — compounded offenses, more than enough to sentence him to death.

Zhù Ying said: “King Chu liked his ladies to have slim waists, and the palace ladies starved themselves to death.”

“Eh?”

Zhù Ying said: “Whoever holds authority tends to bring about this effect. Given that, why not make that power serve something worthwhile? The law is fixed; people are not. I know what she has been through. If I declare publicly that she has lost her purity, every person in Fulu County will be scrutinizing women’s conduct. As long as I treat it as nothing extraordinary, all of Fulu County can afford to be more forgiving. People who hold power — keep your eyes where they belong. When someone is harmed, the task is to punish the criminal — not put the victim on trial. Lou Qi was already going to die. Squire Wang’s daughter still has a long life ahead of her. Why force her first to confess her suffering, then force her to confess that she is tainted? To drive a person to the edge for something that doesn’t actually matter — that is working alongside the criminal to murder a human life. Leave this matter as it stands.”

Xiao Jiang said softly: “All life is fate.”

Zhù Ying said: “Her fate — in my hands, I’ve changed it. Whether she walks the path I’ve changed it to — that’s up to her.”

“Eh?”

Zhù Ying said: “I can adjudicate capital cases — of course I can adjudicate fate. Nothing is unchangeable.”