Xiao Wu, being young, showed no signs of depression even though he wasn’t spending the New Year at home. After returning to the county yamen, he remained as lively as ever, without the slightest trace of homesickness.

At the year’s end, Fulu County distributed New Year’s bonuses, and Xiao Wu rushed to the accounting room to collect his share. He brought it back to his room, beaming with a radiant smile. Hou Wu tucked his own share into a box and said, “Look at that sorry sight.”

Xiao Wu wasn’t the least bit bothered and laughed, “Aren’t you happy yourself, old man?” He put his money away too, then sidled up to Hou Wu to pry for information, asking about the siblings Xiang Le and Xiang An: “How is it that I keep hearing the magistrate now has two new people around? Are they trustworthy?”

Hou Wu said, “Do you even need to remind me? I’ve got my eye on them. Those two only answer to the magistrate — I haven’t spotted anything that would suggest they mean her harm. What’s this? Afraid they’ll steal your duties?”

Xiao Wu chuckled, “I’m not afraid of that!”

Even so, after returning, he took every spare moment to go around the county yamen handing out small gifts he’d brought from the capital, working hard to strengthen his bonds with his colleagues.

Some of the yamen runners quietly pulled Xiao Wu aside, pressing him to set a date for a New Year’s drinking feast. Xiao Wu laughed, “Since when do you have money? Skip those empty gestures — let me treat you all instead.”

The runners laughed, “What, you looking down on us?”

Xiao Wu quickly said, “Wouldn’t dare.”

After some back-and-forth, a date was settled, and Xiao Wu also invited Xiang Le to join the drinking party. Xiang Le said, “I need to keep watch over the magistrate.”

Xiao Wu felt a little awkward, and the runners all urged, “We’re taking shifts — don’t be unsociable.” Xiang Le just kept shaking his head. “You all go. I came here for the magistrate’s sake, so I’m not quite a regular yamen hand.”

Xiang An walked in from outside, carrying two large red lanterns. Hearing this, she said, “Elder Brother, just go — I’ll be here.”

The runners exchanged meaningful glances, though not too obviously. Out beyond the yamen walls they might swap some crude jokes, but Zhù Ying didn’t like anyone teasing the women who worked in the yamen, so the runners had naturally learned to rein themselves in.

Xiang Le hesitated, then said, “All right then, let’s take turns on watch.”

Xiang An, a girl who’d been traveling on business for a merchant family, had exceptionally sharp instincts. She caught a faint whiff of disrespect in the air, gave a quiet sniff, and walked inside with her lanterns. Xiang Le coughed once, and the runners immediately straightened up further.

Xiao Wu said, “So it’s settled then.”

Xiang Le said, “Good.” He lifted his feet and went to catch up with his sister. Together, they handed the lanterns to Cao Chang to hang under the eaves, then took up their posts at Zhù Ying’s side.

Zhù Ying had already grown accustomed to having these two siblings constantly in sight. The siblings were in the middle of their mourning period, but “observing mourning for three years” was a luxury ordinary people couldn’t afford. Take the Xiang family — their father had barely died before the eldest Xiang son had to dash about managing the family business and putting food on the table. There was no way they could build a mourning hut beside the grave. Xiang Le and Xiang An were in the same situation. In remote rural areas, this was extremely common, and nobody took issue with the siblings being in “the depth of mourning.” What they had to avoid were celebratory affairs like marriages — it didn’t even prevent Xiang Le from joining colleagues for a New Year’s drinking feast. More tradition-minded local gentry might spot this and still mutter a word, but then they’d conclude the county magistrate was kind-hearted — giving the Xiang siblings positions in the yamen and keeping them at her side was surely meant as compensation to the Xiang family.

When Zhù Ying had called them into service, she had already taken this into account. Moreover, since neither of them was taking official positions or pursuing scholarship, the matter carried no real taboo.

Zhù Ying said, “There’s nothing pressing. I’m only writing — you two go practice in the back if you like.”

Zhù Ying had her own practice ground, which she and Hou Wu ordinarily used. Xiao Wu rarely trained there, and Cao Chang never touched the place at all. When Gu Tong had stayed as a guest at the yamen, he only practiced archery. But the Xiang siblings loved this space. They took “fists must never leave the hand” to heart and practiced diligently every day without fail, even pestering Hou Wu to spar with them — they were practically in heaven and didn’t want to leave.

The two exchanged a glance, and Xiang An clasped her fists and went first. Xiang Le stayed behind to report on the matter of the drinking feast. Zhù Ying said, “You’ve already agreed, so go. People who are still alive still have to live their lives. Don’t let yourself finally settle your affairs only to find your life has fallen into a complete mess. Xiao Wu has a sharp mind.”

Xiang Le let out a good-natured laugh. “If you say he is, then he is.”

Zhù Ying bowed her head and went back to writing. The yamen’s official seal had been set aside for the year-end break, and what she was writing now was a private plan — working through it to see if there were any flaws.

Her original plan had been to gradually spread the Fellow Townsmen’s Guilds further, but now she’d discovered a new problem — Fulu County’s population was sparse and its output unremarkable, making it far too small in scale. The guilds simply couldn’t be opened and expanded without limit, and the same logic applied to everything else. She had no choice but to adjust her plans.

After a while, Xiang An came to relieve Xiang Le, steam rising from her head after training. Zhù Ying said, “Don’t catch a chill,” then bowed her head again and continued with her own work.

Not until evening, when the siblings had watched Zhù Ying safely return to the inner quarters, did the two of them set off for home together. Xiao Wu finally spotted his chance and quietly followed after them.

Zhù Ying asked, “What is it? Something else you need to tell me?”

Xiao Wu’s face showed a hesitation that anyone could see clearly at a glance. Zhù Ying didn’t press him, and after several false starts he spoke up: “Magistrate, this second Xiang son and his sister…”

“Hmm?”

“They’re in mourning — serving in a public office like this, I’m afraid…”

Zhù Ying said, “It’s fine. I know what I’m doing.”

Xiao Wu’s face pinched with a little worry, then he layered on a touch of concern: “I’m only afraid people will gossip. The local gentry in the county aren’t necessarily all of one mind, you know. Some have gotten more, some less — human hearts are never full. And there are those who covet the Fellow Townsmen’s Guild business, and now you’re not opening any new ones either, so there are discontented folk there too.”

He rambled on for quite a while, covering all manner of street chatter and alley gossip — some of it things Zhao Su or Gu Tong either didn’t know or wouldn’t have thought to mention to Zhù Ying. She listened to all of it. When Xiao Wu finished, Zhù Ying said, “So that’s how it is. I understand now.”

Xiao Wu thought to himself: The magistrate says young Master Zhao has shrewd ideas, but the magistrate’s own ideas are truly unfathomable. He felt a little unsettled but didn’t dare say so directly, so he swallowed his unease and went back to whisper into Hou Wu and Cao Chang’s ears.

Zhù Ying, having heard everything, only smiled and shook her head, then went to talk with Huajie and Zhang Xiangu about arrangements for the New Year.

……

This year was again a good harvest year. In the past, once the autumn harvest was done, a year’s labor was considered complete. Now there was also the matter of the orange trees — those with nothing to invest could take on day labor to earn a little money through hard work, while those with something to invest could pool a bit of capital and join in on the trade to share a portion of the profits. The Fellow Townsmen’s Guilds had several locations, and people invested in whichever one suited their own thinking.

With a bit more cash in hand, spending was somewhat more generous than in past years, which in turn filled the purses of those who ran small businesses.

The county magistrate didn’t squeeze people dry, so those below her had to be a little more honest, and even in remote villages people could eat their fill a little more often. Everyone in the county felt there was something to hope for. The smiles on people’s faces — smiles that came from the heart — were the finest decoration the New Year could have.

Zhang Xiangu grumbled once: “And Xiao Wu — why couldn’t he have stayed in the capital to spend the New Year? I want to go back and can’t even manage it.” Then she declared that this year they ought to put on a bit of a show — because she knew that Zhù Ying had been county magistrate for three years now, and money had finally become considerably less tight.

Zhù Ying said, “All right.”

Zhang Xiangu then wanted to invite Xiao Jiang over as well, glanced at Huajie, and said, “Shall we have those two from the Jiang family come share a meal too? It’ll be lively.”

Zhù Ying said, “All right.” She and Huajie shared a smile. In truth, Huajie held no grievance against Xiao Jiang — it was Xiao Jiang who had a complicated heart about things. Now that Xiao Jiang had more matters to occupy her mind, she was no longer fixated on that one old wound, so Huajie had even less to fret over.

Zhang Xiangu let out a long breath of relief. “Then it’s decided!”

Zhù’s father preferred to drink and swap stories with Hou Wu and the others — mixing with the local gentry made him uncomfortable — and Zhù Ying let him do as he pleased.

Back in the capital, Zhù Ying had been the sort of person who could only manage to be on duty during New Year’s Eve and couldn’t get near the palace even on the first day of the New Year. But celebrating the New Year in Fulu County, she was the center around which all others orbited. Zhang Xiangu and Zhù’s father stood at her side, sharing in this moment of “glory.” Together they sat in the decorated tower built in the county seat for the occasion, and for a moment the two of them felt quite giddy.

Gu Tong made a dutiful appearance at Gu Weng’s place, said a few words to his family, then told Gu Weng, “A’Weng, I’m going to attend on my teacher.”

Gu Weng said, “Then what are you standing around for? Go!”

Gu Tong’s second uncle said, “Quite right — we have things covered here. Go serve the magistrate well. Are we really any worse than that… what’s-his-name… Zhao Su?”

Gu Tong inwardly rolled his eyes and thought: Who’s competing with him? He has the advantage of his maternal family’s bloodline — I’m the teacher’s properly recognized student!

Not wanting to linger at home any longer, he went straight back to the county yamen during the New Year celebrations.

Zhang Xiangu was outside with Huajie and the others setting off firecrackers — one person to a stick of incense, taking turns lighting them one by one, the air around them booming and crackling. The noise set Gu Tong’s heart, liver, and lungs rattling around in a panic. He thought to himself: These are, after all, the teacher’s family — none of them the least bit frightened! Not like those who put on airs, shrinking and simpering and demanding someone protect them.

Xiao Jiang had sharp eyes and spotted him, leaned toward Zhang Xiangu and tugged at her sleeve, pointing Gu Tong out to her. Zhang Xiangu said, “Oh my! A’Tong, you’ve come?” The sound of firecrackers drowned out her voice, but Gu Tong dimly saw them looking his way and quickly ran over.

When he drew close enough to talk, Zhang Xiangu said, “Why aren’t you at home?”

Gu Tong said, “And isn’t this my home too? I’m going to help my teacher light firecrackers.”

Zhang Xiangu said, “Young people — every last one of them — they’d rather be anywhere else than their own homes.”

Gu Tong smiled brightly, “Tomorrow morning I’ll come kowtow and wish you a Happy New Year — don’t forget my gift money!”

Zhang Xiangu adored young people like this, and said, “I have some! I have it! I have something good for you!”

Gu Tong went and set off a round of firecrackers. Zhù Ying made no move to send him away, and the whole group stayed up together through the night watch. Once the hour of zi passed, the whole city rang out with New Year’s greetings, everyone genuinely believing in their hearts that the coming year would burn brighter than the last. They let their lamps blaze ever more brilliantly, set off firecrackers with ever greater abandon, and turned half the sky brilliant red.

Zhù Ying, knowing her place, withdrew to the inner quarters at the stroke of midnight. Gu Tong, still caught up in the revelry, followed her back and asked, “Teacher, aren’t you going to watch a little longer?”

“If I don’t go home, there will certainly be people who feel obligated to stay and attend to me,” Zhù Ying said. “The whole city would have fewer people who could get a good night’s sleep. I have to know when to step away.”

Gu Tong pouted, “Teacher, you make things too hard for yourself. Once a year — what’s wrong with cutting loose just once? Who deserves a proper celebration more than you?”

Zhù Ying said, “That sounds like there’s more behind those words.”

Gu Tong had a room at the yamen. Once they were back in the inner quarters and there was no one else around, he finally said, “Teacher is so considerate, yet they still find it insufficient. My family is even using Zhao Su to make me feel inadequate.”

Zhù Ying asked, “How does the wealth of Fulu County compare to that of a prefectural city?”

“Hm?”

Zhù Ying said, “Be honest. Even if Fulu County doubled, could it rival a prefectural city?”

Gu Tong shook his head. “Not even close.”

“If it grew eightfold, could it rival a provincial capital?”

“Probably not either,” Gu Tong added quickly, “but Teacher has been working with such devotion here, and we are flourishing with vitality — we have far more life in us than they do! Sooner or later we’ll surpass them!”

“How much later, though?”

“That…”

“Ten years to grow a tree, a hundred years to nurture a person — and if even money is this slow, how much more so people? With fewer resources, there will be even fewer talents to show for it, a gap that can’t just be piled up out of nothing.”

Zhù Ying waved a hand and continued: “The saying ‘when people go, their influence goes cold; when people die, their policies die with them’ is no joke. We’re planting wheat and oranges here — let someone heavy-handed come along, count up the oranges one by one, and impose heavy taxes on them, and within two years the people will be driven to chop down their finest fruit trees for firewood. What would become of this place then? You need people who can speak up for their home county. As long as a place can produce even one official — whatever the rank — only then does it begin to have a voice.”

Zhù Ying said, “I have no desire to labor in vain, only to have my orders completely undone within days of my leaving. For Fulu County to stand on its own, it needs its own people and its own wealth. So whether it’s you or Zhao Su, I have no choice but to find you a shortcut, to get you established first and foremost. With people who can speak for their home county — people who can protect it — Fulu County can then accumulate wealth in peace, rather than remaining merely a remote posting ground for exiles.”

Gu Tong nodded vigorously. “Teacher’s concern is for the long-term welfare of this place, not for your own political achievements.”

Zhù Ying said, “Nonsense! I absolutely want the political achievements! When you become an official in the future, you must remember what I’ve just said.”

Gu Tong grinned, “Yes, yes, I will! I will! Teacher, then you must guard against those with too much private greed!”

In a burst of emotion, he completely sold out his own elders and in-laws: “They’re scheming to take control of the Fellow Townsmen’s Guilds!” The guilds were limited in number, and the Gu family had been entrusted with one. The longer time passed, the more plainly the guilds’ advantages showed, and the Gu family was absolutely unwilling to let go. From what Gu Tong knew, several other families held the same ambitions — and those who had been shut out of the guilds entirely were equally disgruntled, and might well stir up trouble.

Gu Tong, cheerfully tearing down his own family, said, “It’s not that they don’t understand ‘righteousness’ — they understand it perfectly well, but then they catch sight of ‘profit’ and their hands start moving on their own. Teacher, whatever you do, don’t look at their temporarily proper behavior and conclude they’ve truly turned over a new leaf. They can’t control their own hands. You need to keep them in check from time to time.”

Zhù Ying said, “I know.”

“Oh?”

“It’s late. There’s still New Year’s calling to do tomorrow — get some sleep.” Zhù Ying said.

Gu Tong made a point of muttering softly, “And once again, nothing is explained clearly.”

Zhù Ying ignored him, clasped her hands behind her back, and strolled back to her room to rest.

……——

Though Gu Tong muttered, he still believed his teacher had a plan. He waited to see his grandfather’s scheming come to nothing and be made a laughingstock.

But to his surprise, throughout the entire New Year, Zhù Ying never once raised the matter of the “taking control of the Fellow Townsmen’s Guilds.” On the contrary, she set up two new Fellow Townsmen’s Guild locations and assigned two more gentry families to send family members out — bearing her letters and name cards — to set up guilds in two other places.

These two new locations were not within this prefecture at all, but in two prefectures of the neighboring prefecture to the north. The prefectural governors there were respectively an old acquaintance of Lord Zheng’s, and a contact introduced to her by fellow townsman Chen Luan.

Gu Tong’s eyes nearly popped out of his head in shock. He thought: That can’t be right! Is Teacher’s solution really just to give each family one? What kind of way is that to solve the problem of the guilds being monopolized? Won’t this just make everyone pursue their own private interests and ruin the whole arrangement in Fulu County? Even if you’re distributing benefits, you can’t divide them up like this — it’s obviously a pile of loose sand!

He went to Zhù Ying once more to express his concerns. Zhù Ying said, “I know. Come here — there’s something I need you to do.”

——The new prefect of their prefecture had been appointed: Leng Yun, formerly the Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review!

Leng Yun’s appointment was confirmed in the first official decree issued after the seventh day of the New Year.

From the moment the gazette published the news, every official of every rank across the prefecture had been waiting for him to take up his post, expecting him to arrive in time to oversee spring plowing arrangements. Only Zhù Ying knew what manner of person Leng Yun was. She kept her eye on Fulu County’s wheat harvest, took back the seed grain and the like, and on her own — competently, as she always had — arranged the spring plowing for her own county. As before, the county yamen took charge and coordinated the allocation of draft cattle across the whole county. Both the reaping of the winter wheat and the planting of the rice seedlings were major undertakings, and everyone was kept busy. Gu Tong too was run ragged by her assignments, temporarily putting the Fellow Townsmen’s Guilds entirely out of his mind.

The rent and tax registers had all been completed. An official document arrived from the prefecture-level deputy prefect — the new prefect was nearly here, and all officials from across the prefecture and its subordinate sub-prefectures were to gather at the prefecture’s border to receive him.

Zhù Ying had finished arranging the spring plowing without a care left over. She calmly set out with the Xiang siblings and the others to head to the border, leaving Deputy Magistrate Guan and Xiao Wu and the rest behind to mind things at home.

The party traveled along the official road, stopping at postal relay stations to rest by night and travel by day. When they arrived at the relay station specified in the deputy prefect’s official document, more than half of the prefecture’s officials were already there, but Leng Yun had not yet arrived, and the deputy prefect and the others were still on the road.

They waited another day, and the prefecture’s officials finally gathered in full. The deputy prefect said, “Prefect Leng is a scion of noble birth — I expect he is even more particular than Prefect Lu was. None of you may take him lightly.”

The capital was naturally the most refined place in the realm when it came to etiquette and ceremony, and the assembled officials took the deputy prefect’s words to heart. The past few months had been peaceful, but the moment they heard the syllable “Lu,” every scalp went tight. If Prefect Lu had already been so difficult to deal with, who knew what manner of torment Prefect Leng would visit upon them? And Prefect Leng was young — he would have even more energy for it!

Everyone waited in the relay station with hearts clenched and nerves taut for one day — the man didn’t come. Two days — still he didn’t come. Some were already growing restless. Among them were officials who had handled their affairs in a muddle and hadn’t properly arranged their spring plowing; being summoned here at a time like this left them with very uneasy consciences. The local county magistrates had people delivering documents to them every day for review, making temporary arrangements for spring plowing from within the relay station.

After a full five days, Leng Yun finally drifted in to the relay station at a leisurely pace.

A young lord who had never left the capital being made to travel nearly two thousand li — it was truly asking a great deal of him.

Leng Yun was not even on horseback but arrived in a carriage, and two manservants helped him down. Zhù Ying looked carefully and saw that Leng Yun had grown considerably thinner than when she had last seen him. His face was pale, his eyes lusterless, and even with someone supporting him he walked with a waddling gait. His expression was unreadable.

Zhù Ying thought: He’s truly suffered, and he truly isn’t happy.

……

Leng Yun had more than ten years of officialdom behind him, along with the manners of a noble-born son. He didn’t scold anyone or complain aloud. He simply said: “You’ve all worked hard. Forgive me for the spectacle — I’ve had a little difficulty adjusting to the local climate and conditions.”

The deputy prefect, standing at the very front, quickly said, “Your Excellency has endured a long and arduous journey — please, rest.” He didn’t raise the matter of the welcome banquet that had been ready and waiting, and seeing Leng Yun’s state, he could hardly reproach him for arriving so late.

Leng Yun said, “Don’t spoil the mood. I know you must have prepared a welcome banquet. I may not be able to keep you company throughout, but I’ll still share a couple of cups with everyone.”

He went first to wash and change into fresh clothes, then forced down three cups of wine before setting his cup aside and saying, “Please excuse me.” He left the deputy prefect and the others to finish the banquet.

No one could read his character yet, so no one dared let themselves go and enjoy the meal freely. They hurried through it, and then the deputy prefect said, “No one return to your posts — accompany the Excellency to the prefectural city.”

The assembled officials had no choice but to curse inwardly and scramble back to their rooms to rest, readying themselves to be up early the next morning to wait outside Prefect Leng’s door for his orders.

Some of the neighboring county magistrates had been in the middle of discussing the matter of seed grain with Zhù Ying, but now no one was in any mood for conversation. Zhù Ying also returned to her own room and turned the matter of Leng Yun over in her mind once more before she was about to blow out the lamp — when Leng Yun sent someone to summon her. She had no choice but to dress and follow the messenger to Leng Yun’s quarters.

Leng Yun didn’t make her wait. He didn’t leave her standing outside as a punishment, and he didn’t make her sit in the front hall while someone poured water down her throat. Inside the hall, she found Leng Yun reclining lazily on a couch, his collar hanging wide open.

Zhù Ying stepped forward and gave a proper, respectful bow. “This subordinate, County Magistrate of Fulu County, Zhù Ying, pays respects to the Prefect.”

“Are you pretending not to know me?” Leng Yun said in an odd, drawling tone.

Zhù Ying raised her head, letting a trace of surprise show. “The way you looked just now — weren’t you the one trying to pretend not to know me? What a relief, then! I was afraid that now that you hold authority over an entire region, you would want to project dignity and solemn ceremony, and I couldn’t afford to make you lose face.”

More than ten years, and Leng Yun had never managed to get the better of Zhù Ying on anything except the matter of their relative seniority. With a single sentence, she washed away eight-tenths of his displeasure.

Leng Yun deflated. “Forget it. Getting worked up with you is pointless anyway.”

“Worked up?”

Leng Yun said, “Honestly — who would want to come to a place like this? And look at you — you’ve actually gotten used to it?”

The reason for Leng Yun’s unhappiness was found. Zhù Ying said, “Not especially used to it, no. But the court issued its order and the Emperor issued his edict — one can only find a way to get used to it.”

Leng Yun said with tired disgust, “Get used to it! As if!”

“I remember you were still telling me to come back to the capital. How did you end up coming here yourself?”

Leng Yun’s temper flared at the very mention of it. “As if I wanted to come! It was them!”

The Emperor had issued the edict himself, and the Council of State’s objections had been overruled. Leng Yun found himself feeling, for the first time, that he and Wang Yunhe were standing on the same side — he now understood the grief and indignation of loyal ministers whose earnest counsel goes unheeded.

Yes, he’d had second thoughts. Lord Zheng’s persuasion had worked at the time, but as the preparations got underway, Leng Yun grew increasingly impatient. If it was already this troublesome before he’d even taken up the post, what would it be like once he arrived? Leng Yun felt he simply wasn’t cut out for this. But the Emperor and his own parents ignored all of that, and cast him out of the capital all the same.

He’d set out in misery. The distance from the capital to the prefectural city was not a full two thousand seven hundred li, yet the journey felt far worse to Leng Yun than it had to Zhù Ying. In the chill of early spring, he dragged himself and his luggage southward step by step. His wife and children hadn’t come with him — only two concubines to keep him company on the road. At first there had been a slight novelty to it, but as time went on, exhaustion set in.

The further south they traveled, the warmer it grew. He didn’t fall ill, but he sustained an injury. He could ride a horse, but he had never ridden more than two thousand li continuously in his life. The insides of his thighs chafed raw without fail, and he had no choice but to take the carriage. The physical pain compounded his emotional misery, and at last he began to complain and look for someone to take out his frustrations on.

Zhù Ying listened to the word “them” and pieced together nine-tenths of the whole story from what came before and after. With a faint glimmer of hope, she asked, “Before you came, did you manage to visit the Ministry of Revenue and the other departments — did you get hold of some figures on the various matters in this prefecture?”

Leng Yun frowned. “I had a talk with them. They said everything was fine.”

Zhù Ying felt her breath catch. “Every incoming official has to fill in the pits left by their predecessor. Did you have no idea what you were getting into beforehand?”