“He’s arrived?” Zhù Ying asked.

Xiao Liu nodded vigorously. “Yes! Word just came from the guesthouse — he should be making his way into the city right now. Counting travel time, he ought to be nearly here.”

“Understood. Go tell Xiao Wu: have someone go once more to check on the accommodations prepared for Administrator Zhang, and give the place a good sweep — so the Administrator can move in the moment he arrives. The lock and key are to be removed in front of him, and he’ll want to put his own new lock on.”

Xiao Liu said, “Yes.”

Gu Tong peered around curiously: “Teacher, the Supervisory Administrator is really coming now?”

“What is that odd expression on your face?”

Gu Tong’s expression shifted through several changes before he said, “A bit worried, but not entirely.”

“Oh?”

“A deputy… generally speaking, a county-level deputy is comparatively easier to manage; but a prefecture or circuit-level deputy always feels a bit like an informant, doesn’t it?” Gu Tong muttered.

There had been a time when he was still a naive student in a small county town and regarded all officials as essentially the same — differentiated at most by individual temperament or by personal grudges arising from private financial disputes. In recent years, especially since becoming Zhù Ying’s student, he had come to understand how vast the subject really was.

The court was not very fond of any official entrenching himself so firmly in a place that it became an impenetrable block of iron. A deputy’s original purpose was partly to groom a successor and partly to provide a check and balance. To govern a place well, putting a principal official and a deputy together was one approach; ensuring no single person could keep a complete grip on a locality was something the court also needed to consider. The requirement for someone from each circuit to go to the capital each year on a rotating basis was similarly a way of preventing any individual from monopolizing access to information. So a local deputy, in any posting, could not simply be whoever the principal official wanted. Whether the relationship could be smoothed over depended entirely on each person’s luck and ability.

Both principal and deputy knew, from the moment they received their letters of appointment, what the court expected of them — what each was meant to do. The newly arrived Administrator Zhang, in Gu Tong’s assessment, did not look especially promising.

At the same time he greatly trusted his teacher’s abilities, and seeing that Southern Prefecture was already firmly in hand, a lone administrator arriving with no established foothold could not accomplish much. He only worried that if the Administrator jumped around too much, it would waste everyone’s time.

Zhù Ying looked again at the brief summary of Zhang Jiong’s information. Very sparse. Even in the Ministry of Personnel, the record of an official consisted mostly of a note on his first three generations and native place, age, year of entry into service, positions held, any promotions, demotions, or transfers, and the grade and comments from performance evaluations. How to interpret all that came down to each person’s own skill.

Zhù Ying said, “He looks to be a capable man.”

After the appointment of Administrator Zhang was issued, the Ministry of Personnel had finally informed Zhù Ying, the principal official, of what kind of subordinate was on the way.

Zhang Jiong, thirty-eight years old, Rank 6 Senior. At this age, holding a sixth rank with prospects for the fifth — his official career had been quite fortunate. He had come up through the proper examination track; though his placement had not been high, he had started as a proper official, Rank 9 Junior. By that calculation, Zhang Jiong had been twenty-three years old that year. He had spent time in the capital first, then served in local postings, working his way up over fifteen years to Rank 6 Senior. He clearly had ability.

Looking at his background: his father and grandfather had both been officials. His grandfather reached seventh rank in a lifetime; his father sixth rank — both were now several years deceased. There were not many people left whose deaths would require him to observe mourning.

The arrival of such a person — the court seemed to be treating Southern Prefecture reasonably well. In prime years, with experience in local governance, and presumably also an ambition to advance. Quite good.

Zhù Ying said to Gu Tong, “Now that he’s coming, you all need to be more careful from here on. Observe the yamen’s rules; don’t be careless; you can’t treat the front yamen like your own home anymore.”

Gu Tong said, “Yes. I’ll go tell the others too. Though after the Prefect’s recent reorganization, everyone has been quite disciplined.”

Zhù Ying nodded. “Go ahead. Arrange the welcome dinner, and have Xiao Wu bring people to go and meet him.”

“Yes.”

Zhù Ying went back to the rear residence to inform the household, so everyone would be prepared. Zhù Da said, “He’s the deputy — even if he’s up to no good, what is there to fear?” Zhang Xiangu said, “There you go talking nonsense in front of the child again! What good and bad? — But San’er, what kind of person is this Supervisory Administrator?”

Zhù Ying said, “Where are your minds going? I mean: if he’s brought family with him, we should be ready.”

“Oh — I see! Then I’ll keep that in mind.” Zhang Xiangu said.

Huajie said, “Although I don’t know what kind of people he has at home, I’ve prepared gifts already — we’ll just see what he’s like and send him the right things. It doesn’t need to be anything grand, not like the things sent to the capital.”

Zhù Da said in surprise, “The senior official sending gifts to the deputy? We used to give to those above us — what’s going on now?”

Huajie explained, “Just a few simple things — nothing like the heavy gifts sent to the capital.”

Zhù Da rubbed his nose and thought: This Administrator — I’m going to have to see whether he knows what’s good for him.

Zhù Ying said, “We’ll see the real person tomorrow; speculating about his temperament now serves no purpose.”

Zhang Xiangu said, “Huajie, let’s take the clothes out and give them an airing. When meeting guests we should dress with care.”

……

Now for the other perspective.

Zhang Jiong was not arriving as a local principal official, so the local officials had no reason to travel out to meet him along the way. When he checked into the South Prefecture guesthouse, he gave the guesthouse keeper his name and credentials; the guesthouse keeper duly reported upward.

He had barely settled in, intending to present himself at the yamen the following day, when that very evening Xiao Wu arrived at the guesthouse with a party of people.

Ever since learning that Zhang Jiong was on his way, Xiao Wu had spent a great deal of time inwardly mulling over this new Administrator. He considered himself one of Zhù Ying’s trusted inner circle, given important responsibilities, and on that basis had worried considerably on Zhù Ying’s behalf. A deputy! This point Xiao Wu understood better than Gu Tong did — what it actually meant.

He had devised a plan for himself in advance: first, receive Administrator Zhang with warm, attentive hospitality. If the Administrator turned out to be good and of one mind with Zhù Ying, the warmth would not be wasted. If the Administrator turned out to be bad, it would at least lull him into a false sense of security!

Having settled on his approach, Xiao Wu went eagerly to the guesthouse to request an audience.

He presented his credentials and asked the guesthouse keeper, “Which room is Administrator Zhang in? Take me to him quickly.”

“This way, sir — just over there in that room.”

Hearing the guesthouse keeper address him as “sir,” Xiao Wu felt rather pleased. Standing outside Zhang Jiong’s door, he put on a respectful manner and announced himself: “Administrator Zhang, this official is the South Prefecture Commissioner of Granaries. I have come on the orders of Prefect Zhù to welcome the Administrator.”

The door inside opened; Xiao Wu looked up and saw a neatly dressed male servant come out, saying, “Commissioner? My master invites you in.”

Xiao Wu had the yamen runners who had come with him wait outside; they had also brought some gifts. Xiao Wu had calibrated his gift-giving just right: we are both clean and upright people, warm in manner, but upright — so no lavish gifts.

Xiao Wu said to the guesthouse keeper, “Sorry for the trouble.” He straightened his collar and stepped into the room.

He clasped his hands first, addressing Zhang Jiong as a subordinate should, and waited until a steady male voice from above said, “Please rise — no need for formalities,” before standing straight and properly sizing up this Administrator Zhang.

Zhang Jiong had a dignified, commanding presence. Not especially towering in build, but with an air of authority. Square face, straight nose, wide mouth, bright eyes — a few silver threads in his beard, barely noticeable if you did not look closely. That face would serve him well for another few decades; if one day he were to wear red and purple, the appearance would not be embarrassing.

Xiao Wu said, “The Administrator is most impressive!”

Zhang Jiong smiled: “You flatter me.”

Xiao Wu said, “I am surnamed Wu, Administrator — just call me Xiao Wu, everyone does. Hearing that you were coming, Prefect Zhù was delighted and said: at last, another capable person has come! It’s just a shame we didn’t know exactly when you’d arrive, or we’d have gone to meet you before our trip to the circuit capital. Oh — our circuit here has a custom, going back to the old days of Governor Lu: twice a year, every six months, everyone goes to the Governor’s residence to report in person.”

Xiao Wu chattered along: “Ah, I’m seeing the Administrator for the first time and really can’t help myself — I’ve said too much.”

Zhang Jiong said, “Not at all — I actually have something I want to ask you. Your Mandarin is very good.”

“You are too kind. I wonder what the Administrator wishes to ask?”

“Is the Prefect in the yamen tomorrow?”

“She was going to go on a tour of inspection — you know how it is, this time of year in the south the autumn harvest is about to begin, and it makes her uneasy not to go and see for herself. When she heard you had arrived, she stopped the trip. I don’t know whether the Administrator has brought family — the accommodations prepared may or may not be sufficient. It’s a two-courtyard compound, with a side courtyard, servants’ quarters, a stable, and so on.”

Zhang Jiong said, “Quite enough. I have not brought family on this posting.”

“Oh! Then your daily needs… well, that’s no problem either — there’s a private kitchen at the yamen!”

“Is that so?”

Xiao Wu put in a few good words for Zhù Ying: “Yes — the Prefect has always looked after us well; she would rather economize on herself than have us go without. You’ll see once you meet the Prefect — Prefect Zhù is the most agreeable person there is. And the Administrator seems so gracious — you’ll certainly get along with her.”

Zhang Jiong gave a slight smile and asked, “What about the other people in the yamen?”

Xiao Wu said, “There are the Six Departments. Granaries is myself. The Merits Department head is surnamed Wang; the Justice Department head surnamed Li — those two are the busiest. The Works Department head is surnamed Peng; he’s going to be very busy soon — once the autumn harvest is in, it’s time for repairing the water conservancy works. The Military Department head is rather more at leisure, since the prefecture’s defenses are largely handled by Commander Mei. The Household Department head, Elder Qi, doesn’t talk much — if you run into him and he doesn’t respond, he’s surely just feeling shy.”

“Everyone has their own strengths! I truly look forward to making everyone’s acquaintance.”

“You are too kind,” Xiao Wu said. “Well, I won’t impose further. Tomorrow I’ll accompany the Administrator into the prefectural city.”

“Then I’ll trouble you for that.”

“How could you say that? It’s no trouble at all.” Xiao Wu withdrew with a smile: “The Administrator has been on the road for so long — you’re the one who’s truly tired. Rest up; once you’ve settled in tomorrow, things will be easier.”

He already had some impression of Zhang Jiong: he’d seen plenty of officials, and this one looked like someone with real ambition. The first meeting had brought no attempt to assert dominance, nor any urgent probing for yamen details — he had some depth, a few private calculations, not easy to deal with. Tomorrow I’d better find a chance to tell the Prefect everything I’ve observed!

While Xiao Wu had been studying Zhang Jiong, Zhang Jiong had also been studying him. No matter how he looked at it, the man had a faint oily sheen about him. He thought: probably an official who came up through the rank-and-file clerks. No surprise there — in a pestilential backwater, official recruitment was bound to be more difficult. That Prefect Zhù was already a tricky character in her own right; add in subordinates like this and…

Zhang Jiong sighed inwardly, thinking that upon arriving at his post he would probably need to spend some time sounding out everyone here. Knowing a surname told you nothing.

Not every local official arriving at a new posting could obtain all the information they wanted beforehand. Some held such low rank that they were simply handed an official letter and sent on their way without even going to the capital. Zhang Jiong was somewhere in between; he had not been able to read all the archives at the Ministry of Personnel the way Zhù Ying had, and he did not know his superior Zhù Ying’s background.

Still, Zhù Ying had some reputation, and Zhang Jiong had heard of her.

He looked over the people he had brought: one young personal attendant, two strong manservants, and two porters — all fairly young. He could only regret that he had not been able to bring one or two of his previously trusted subordinates with him.

The next morning, Zhang Jiong and Xiao Wu both rose early. Xiao Wu was already neatly dressed and standing outside Zhang Jiong’s door. Zhang Jiong asked, seemingly in passing, “Do you wait on the Prefect like this every day?”

Xiao Wu laughed: “The Prefect doesn’t need me to wait on her — she lives in the rear residence with Old Master and the others.”

“All the Prefect’s family are here?” Zhang Jiong asked in some surprise.

Xiao Wu said, “Every one of them.”

“That really must not have been easy. Are they all keeping well?”

Xiao Wu said, “They’re all in good health.”

“Oh, that’s good — that’s good.”

“Administrator, please — by now the yamen should have finished its morning task assignments.”

“Does this happen every morning?”

“It does.” Xiao Wu did not understand why he was asking this.

He did not know that not every local office followed the practice Zhù Ying maintained. Hers continued the custom from the Court of Judicial Review under Zheng Xi’s tenure, a habit Zheng Xi himself had formed when taking over during the Gong affair. At most offices, there was a rest day roughly every ten days; on the morning after the rest day, when officials reported for duty, the principal official or acting official would broadly outline what needed to be done, and then everyone dispersed. A task assignment every ten days. Barring sudden emergencies, most principals without a craving for giving orders would not gather the entire office. The lazier ones could go a full month without assembling everyone. Generally it was only during spring plowing, autumn harvest, and tax collection periods that official business was assembled more frequently.

If you wanted to work, there would always be work to do; if you preferred a “no-action” approach, there was always a way to “let things take their natural course.” In many places “no-action governance” actually worked better — officials tinkering around needlessly often caused more trouble and harm than good.

Zhang Jiong thought: a principal officer who likes to make things happen.

……

The two traveled together to the prefectural city. Xiao Wu also noticed Zhang Jiong’s traveling party: five people, all young. Looking at his luggage — just two carts. Xiao Wu estimated that stripping away bedding, clothing, and the like, Zhang Jiong had not brought much with him — even a bit meager.

They arrived at the prefectural city by midday.

Zhang Jiong looked at the city. Beyond its construction following the court’s required specifications, nothing else about it could be called impressive.

Along the road, curious onlookers gathered to watch, pointing and murmuring — apparently saying something. Zhang Jiong’s cheek twitched: he could not understand a word!

On the road he had mostly dealt with guesthouse keepers; each guesthouse keeper’s Mandarin carried a regional accent but was still distinguishable. Zhang Jiong had served in posts away from home before and was mentally prepared for dialects — but he had not imagined there could be places in this world where not a single word of the local tongue made sense to an outsider! Though from the expressions on their faces, it seemed to be a favorable impression.

He remained composed and glanced at Xiao Wu again.

Xiao Wu led him to the yamen gate. Zhang Jiong saw that the building appeared to have been newly renovated; four runners were already stationed at the entrance. Xiao Wu said, “Administrator Zhang has arrived.” All four bowed in unison; Xiao Wu said, “Administrator, please wait a moment.” He strode inside; the announcement passed inward from voice to voice: “Administrator Zhang has arrived!”

Zhang Jiong dismounted; a runner took his horse’s reins and tied it to one side. Zhang Jiong walked to the gatehouse and saw, in the distance, a group of people coming toward him. He stopped and waited with his hands at his sides — and then he saw a figure in red!

As the two drew closer, Zhang Jiong stepped forward a few paces and bowed: “This official, Zhang Jiong, newly appointed Supervisory Administrator of Southern Prefecture, pays his respects to the Prefect.”

He then produced his letter of appointment from his sleeve. Zhù Ying took it, verified the details, and said, “No need for formalities. Have you brought family, Administrator?”

Xiao Wu quickly said, “Prefect, the Administrator has not brought family — he has several servants and some luggage; I’ll arrange for people to take everything to the Administrator’s residence right away.”

Zhù Ying said, “Go ahead.”

Zhang Jiong still wanted to defer, but Zhù Ying said, “Let them go take care of it — we still have real business. Please come in.”

Zhang Jiong saw the famed Zhù Ying, and she was far too young! He felt a wave of sentiment; just look at that — already wearing crimson! The two went to the administrative office. Zhù Ying sat above; Zhang Jiong naturally took the first seat below, to the right; the Six Department heads also came in and sat.

Zhù Ying said, “We are both newly arrived. I arrived a few months before the Administrator, so I’ll presume without apology!”

Zhang Jiong said, “This official is here only to assist — I listen to the Prefect’s orders and follow the Prefect’s lead in all things.”

“We are colleagues in the same court — let us work with one heart. I won’t say more pleasantries. Shall we start by introducing everyone? — Come, meet Administrator Zhang!”

The Six Departments greeted the Administrator first. Zhù Ying introduced them one by one, then said, “So the Administrator’s arrival today counts as your formal check-in. Since you’ve just arrived in a new place, I’m giving the Administrator three days of leave to get settled. Even without family, you need time to rest your feet. Tomorrow I’ll hold a welcome dinner at the yamen for the Administrator. All official business can be discussed in detail once the Administrator is settled in — I’ll certainly be calling on you a great deal going forward.”

“It is this official’s duty. This official is slow-witted — everything will follow the Prefect’s orders.” Zhang Jiong said.

He had previously been a county magistrate himself, and now he was transferred to serve as Administrator — technically a small step up in rank, yet going from being a principal officer who had the final word to being a subordinate under someone else’s authority. He felt slightly out of sorts.

Zhù Ying said, “The Administrator is too polite. Everyone here at the yamen is one’s own people — relax a little. Let them come in.”

Before long, the yamen runners also came through in shifts to pay their respects and meet Zhang Jiong. He was given two waist-badge passes. Ding Gui brought over a tray: “Prefect, this one is yours, and this gives one of your servants the right to enter and assist. These tokens and tallies are for collecting your allocations. There was an incident recently at the yamen, so the gate restrictions have been tightened a bit.”

Zhang Jiong nodded. Ding Gui placed the tray on the small table beside him, gathered up the corners of the cloth lining into a little bundle, and handed it all to Zhang Jiong together.

Zhù Ying said, “I’ll have them see you to your quarters.”

Zhang Jiong said, “Much obliged. This official will get settled as quickly as possible and then come back to pay proper respects.”

Their meeting thus concluded — courteously, calmly, without any ripples. Zhang Jiong had noticed two men and one woman standing behind Zhù Ying, but Zhù Ying had not introduced them. Zhù Ying had in turn noted various telltale signs about Zhang Jiong, matching them one by one with what she already knew.

Zhù Ying escorted Zhang Jiong out of the administrative office. Xiao Wu took over and led Zhang Jiong to his new residence. Zhang Jiong arrived to find that serving as Administrator meant his accommodations were actually smaller than what he’d had as a county magistrate — formerly he could live in the rear residence, and with more space to boot. Xiao Wu also pointed out that Department Head Wang’s home was nearby, and so on, and then explained to Zhang Jiong’s servants: “Firewood, rice, water, fodder — all stocked up. When things run out, keep track yourselves. The yamen sends an allowance every month; take your tally tokens and collect it.”

When everything was explained, Xiao Wu took his leave.

Zhang Jiong walked through the entire residence. Everything had been freshly renovated, and it had been swept very clean; the rooms even had clean bedding and bed curtains ready to use. Two potted flowers had been placed for him.

Zhang Jiong thought: now this is impressive!

……

On the other side, Xiao Wu hurried back to the yamen. He found Gu Tong and the others all before Zhù Ying.

Gu Tong’s face was slightly flushed, saying, “This Administrator looks… looks…” Looks genuinely impressive! He felt a little like taking back what he had said earlier about being wary of the Administrator.

Zhù Ying flicked him on the forehead with a bent finger. Xiao Wu darted forward: “Prefect, I didn’t get to say everything fully just now! Young Master Gu, this Administrator is no simple figure either.” He then laid out everything he had observed in fine detail.

Zhù Ying said, “What are you all meddling in this for? I’ve already told you: do your own jobs well first. None of you are to underestimate him — he came up through proper examinations! Gu Tong, weigh that carefully.”

“Yes.”

The next morning, Department Head Wang came to the yamen early and immediately went to the administrative office to report: “Prefect, our new Administrator seems to have trouble understanding what people are saying.”

“Oh?”

“I spoke to him in Mandarin, but he seemed to…” Department Head Wang pointed to his own temple to suggest Zhang Jiong had not quite processed it. They were neighbors; last night he had wanted to have a longer conversation, but Zhang Jiong could only barely follow his speech, and after each exchange needed a long moment to process. In the end the whole conversation was conducted through writing.

Zhù Ying laughed: “It’s probably the local dialect he can’t understand. Not a problem — as long as he can read official documents, that’s what matters. Today we’ll first hold his welcome dinner.”

That day the yamen hosted a banquet. All those not on duty had food and drink; even the ordinary runners had their share.

Zhù Ying did not drink. She explained to Zhang Jiong upfront: “I’m not good with alcohol — I make a fool of myself. Please don’t mind me.”

Zhang Jiong drank no more than three cups before setting his cup down and asking for tea. The Department heads felt they could not very well drink freely after that. Only Qi Tai drank exactly as much as he pleased, which made Department Head Wang intensely envious.

Throughout the meal everyone remained courteous. Zhù Ying, having confirmed that Zhang Jiong truly could not understand the local dialect well, did not point it out; she simply extended the time she spent in conversation with him, and whenever someone came to offer a toast she would take the opportunity to introduce that person in detail. She also touched on some details of daily life in the south, saying, “You are here on your own — you’ll have to be more attentive to your own needs.”

Zhang Jiong was fully alert and noted everything Zhù Ying said.

The day after the welcome dinner, Zhang Jiong sent people with gifts to pay his respects to Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Da.

The old couple had already dressed carefully, and were both momentarily struck when they saw Zhang Jiong: “The Administrator cuts such an impressive figure!”

Zhang Jiong demurred, saying Zhù Ying was the impressive one. Zhang Xiangu did not want anyone raising the topic of her daughter, and said, “Let’s not talk about her.” Zhù Da, seeing that he looked like a proper official, felt his guard rise, and asked, “So what has the Administrator come here to do?”

Zhù Ying said, “He’s come to be the Administrator — he handles yamen affairs too. I’ll explain it all to Father later.”

Zhang Jiong looked at the old couple. There was a kind of formality about them, yet not quite — not quite the sort of people one would expect to have raised a son like Zhù Ying. He was also slightly puzzled. Also: this family was awfully small, wasn’t it?

Zhang Xiangu did her best to steer the conversation elsewhere, saying Zhang Jiong was being far too courteous — traveling all this way and still bringing gifts, how would he manage his own expenses? Zhang Jiong said, “Proper courtesy cannot be skipped.” The two sides simply could not find common ground in conversation; before long Zhang Jiong made his excuses to leave. Zhang Xiangu insisted he stay for a meal. Zhang Jiong, in the middle of an exchange with Department Head Wang that was not going particularly smoothly, momentarily let his guard slip and stayed to try Xiao Ya’s cooking — and deeply regretted it.

Three days passed. Zhang Jiong reported formally to the yamen and specially instructed his servant, “Bring my lunch here.”

Watching Zhù Ying give out task assignments bright and early, he thought inwardly: I was right — just as I expected, a diligent person who likes things to happen.

Zhang Jiong had already steeled himself to be sidelined at first. When he himself had been principal officer, he had also begun by observing his deputies. He had not expected Zhù Ying to finish giving instructions to everyone else and then ask him directly: “Would the Administrator prefer to start by reading through the case files, or shall we work things out gradually as we go through affairs together?”

Zhang Jiong said, “I defer to the Prefect. If the Prefect doesn’t mind this official being newly arrived, I can simply sit in and listen for now — and look over the files in the evenings.”

Zhù Ying said, “The files cannot leave the yamen — as long as you are here, you may read them whenever you like.”

Zhang Jiong paused: “This official was careless.”

“Then we start.”

Zhang Jiong settled into being something like Zhù Ying’s shadow, sitting beside her. Zhù Ying’s Mandarin was flawless; Zhang Jiong could follow everything she said with perfect clarity. Watching her work out a contingency plan for the autumn harvest — including a detailed calculation of corvée labor — Zhang Jiong, as someone with experience in local governance himself, could see from an insider’s perspective: she had thought through the labor requirements so thoroughly, even taking the people’s burden into account. It surpassed his own approach. He could not help but feel uneasy — when one falls short of another person, one begins to feel anxious.

Next was Works Department Head Peng, who explained his own labor requirements. Peng’s Mandarin was not even half a bucket’s worth; to Zhang Jiong the whole thing was like a duck hearing thunder, and he grew increasingly flustered. Fortunately, Household Department Head Qi Tai then spoke, and Zhang Jiong could finally hear clearly — but Qi Tai was an accountant, and his numbers came in a long unbroken stream, which Zhang Jiong’s mental arithmetic could not quite keep up with.

Works Department Head Peng said, “Old Qi! Old Qi! Wait a moment! Just wait! I can’t keep up!”

Qi Tai repeated it for him. Zhang Jiong now saw clearly: he was not the only one here who had not quite understood!

The morning meeting ended. Zhù Ying asked, “Administrator, the dialect… is there some difficulty?”

Zhang Jiong said with a rueful smile, “I am truly embarrassed.”

“I also had to learn it after I arrived,” Zhù Ying said, then asked with concern, “The official documents you can read, right?”

“Of course!” Zhang Jiong was slightly displeased.

Zhù Ying said, “That’s fine then. I am actually planning a tour of inspection of the counties. The Administrator’s arrival is a godsend — I can leave you in charge of the yamen here.”

“Ah?”

“Incoming and outgoing documents — handle them as you see fit. Anything requiring my signature — Southern Prefecture is not that large; it won’t take more than a few days to get it to me. As for the language — Department Head Wang’s Mandarin is comprehensible; he happens to be right here. Ask him to serve as interpreter. The Administrator is a smart person; anyone who passed the examinations would pick it up very quickly.”

Zhang Jiong said another word of embarrassment.

Zhù Ying said, “Just the two of us here — no need for politeness. So that’s settled?”

Zhang Jiong said, “I follow your orders.”

……

Zhù Ying was going on tour of inspection not only for the grain storage but also to look at each county’s crops — she had formed some ideas, though exactly what, she needed to test. Not everything that looked unimpressive at first would fail to develop into something worthwhile later; and not everything that looked promising now could be turned into a reliable source of profit simply by waiting.

Take the orange trees, for instance. Fulu County’s “Lucky Oranges” had started out as something sold for their auspicious symbolism — even a kind of mystical swindle. The sweeter variety came about because she had offered a large cash reward in the county’s name, inducing people to cultivate a better strain. Now, having tasted the rewards, people were constantly being imitated, and Fulu County people themselves were further refining their strains to distinguish themselves from the imitators — making everything better and better over time.

All of this required her to go and probe things for herself.

The first stop was He Dong County — because she had previously been “in secluded retreat and had not personally traveled the whole county.” This trip was to make up for it.

Magistrate Wang received Zhù Ying. He cherished this opportunity greatly. Magistrate Guo was practically a neighbor of the prefectural yamen; Magistrates Guan and Mo were her old subordinates — only he, Magistrate Wang, had no special close relationship, and had lacked the foresight to cultivate ties earlier.

Zhù Ying said, “No need to be anxious — let’s start with grain storage.”

Magistrate Wang said, “Please, Prefect.”

Zhù Ying inspected the newly built granaries first and found them well constructed. She then asked, “Labor costs didn’t go over budget?”

“No, no — not at all. In the past things were done imprecisely; some things just weren’t thought through and human and material resources were wasted. With the Prefect’s guidance, taking a comprehensive approach, quite a lot was saved.”

Zhù Ying said, “Even if the winter wheat comes in, this year we will only recover the seed — there is to be no tax collection.”

“Prefect can rest easy — I would not kill the goose to get the egg.”

Zhù Ying said, “Does He Dong County have less rainfall?”

“Yes — less than the other three counties. So the water is…”

Zhù Ying smiled. “As for water, you’re not that short either — for this part of the world, the rainfall is considerably more than the north.”

“Ha! Nothing gets past the Prefect.”

The weather was still sweltering. Magistrate Wang led Zhù Ying to a room on the side. Servants brought refreshments. Zhù Ying did not drink; those outside offering hospitality to her would invent all manner of beverages to please her. What Magistrate Wang offered was also fresh sugarcane juice.

Zhù Ying said, “You have sugarcane juice this late in the season?”

“Autumn cane — harvested the following year. Sugarcane keeps well; it can sit for two or three months without spoiling. So there’s still fresh-pressed juice to be had.”

“Only the juice — not sugar?”

“There is, there is! Would the Prefect like some? We’ll fetch it right away — the finest sugar crystals.”

“No need to bring it here now — I was just asking. I’ll see for myself when we get there.”

“Yes.”

The party returned to the county office. Magistrate Wang had the sugar crystals brought out at once. These so-called “sugar crystals” were made from sugarcane and were white in color — white as frost, hence the name. Zhù Ying looked them over and said, “Is there anything better?”

“Only this kind locally.”

Zhù Ying thought: what a pity — apparently tributes include a finer grade of sugar, but this would do. And being a tribute item was not necessarily a good thing.

What she had in mind was having He Dong County grow sugarcane. She had seen the stuff in the capital. At home, Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Da, having grown up in poor conditions, had increasingly bad teeth and would not chew on the stalks; Zhù Ying bought them soft-sweet candies instead.

Sweet things always attracted people. And sugar was expensive. Expensive, and relatively scarce. Sugar crystals were even rarer.

Since coming south, sugarcane juice was something she drank often. She had noticed before that Fulu County’s terrain was not very suitable for growing sugarcane, but He Dong County’s conditions were somewhat better — more level land than Fulu County had. With food crops secured, Zhù Ying hoped to get sugarcane growing there as well.

If it could be processed into sugar, it would keep far better than fruit. Sugar was just so enticing! It was already a comparatively expensive commodity without any need to rack your brains over how to inflate the price artificially. Even if all the suitable land in the other three counties were planted with it, there would be no worry about having too much to sell.

As for the appearance of the final product not being ideal — what did that matter? Start with raw sugar and the like; if they were not aiming for tribute-grade quality, the current methods, with modest improvements, would be perfectly adequate. The raw material was sugarcane, so it was subject to seasonal constraints; Zhù Ying planned to first grow some in the official fields and experiment.

She said no more about sugarcane, and instead went through the wheat seed and water conservancy calculations with Magistrate Wang. This time she visibly toured part of He Dong County for half a month; on the previous trip she had bypassed certain villages, and Magistrate Wang had arranged a different route this time. Everywhere she went was a picture of “rural contentment” — smiling faces on all sides, the local gentry dressed in their best to welcome her.

Zhù Ying said to Magistrate Wang, “Your work will only count as well done when it has actually benefited the common people.”

“This official understands.”

Zhù Ying departed the county seat and said to Xiang Le and Xiang An, “Get a few cartloads of sugarcane back to the prefectural residence. Also buy some sugar — and if there’s equipment for processing sugar, get a set of that too. Store everything at home.”

The two complied; Xiang Le eagerly volunteered for this task because Zhù Ying’s next stop was Fulu County, so that meant while he returned to the prefectural yamen, his sister could travel on and get to go home to see their mother.

The party proceeded to Fulu County. By the time they reached the guesthouse, word could not be contained. County Chief Mo came galloping up on horseback. Zhù Ying laughed: “You didn’t trample any crops on the way, did you?”

County Chief Mo said, “I wouldn’t dare! And besides — what is there good about riding through the fields? Why would you risk laming your horse?”

Zhù Ying said, “How is the harvest this year?”

County Chief Mo said, “Not a record harvest, but no worse than previous years. The thin land really is deficient in nutrients — you have to put real effort into composting. And the Prefect always thinks ahead! I used to think tearing down Huang’s buildings for manure huts was to shame and humiliate the criminals, but it turns out it was genuinely about composting!”

Zhù Ying was pleased to see him applying himself, and asked about other county affairs. County Chief Mo said, “All good, all good. Over at the Asu County side, the trading post is still running as before. Things seem to be improving over there — more business at the trading post.”

Zhù Ying said, “Is that so? Then let’s go take a look.”

County Chief Mo invited her to stay at the Clear Breeze Pavilion. Zhù Ying stood upstairs and could not suppress a laugh: “I’ve gone and moved in! Well, fine — the space is generous. Tonight I’m treating.”

County Chief Mo said, “How can we let you pay, Prefect?”

Zhù Ying said, “Fulu County is not rich — I’ll cover it.” This poverty-stricken place — she had been county magistrate here for nearly six years, and not a single wealthy patron had ever pushed money at her to write a shop sign!

The Clear Breeze Pavilion dinner was the usual group of regulars; Zhù Ying greeted them as she always had. Gu Weng, because his grandson had a standing in front of her, felt he had some face himself and straightened his elderly back. Xiang An’s mother was also given a seat, sitting next to Widow Chang. Zhao Niangzi was there too; after the dinner she did not leave, sitting there with Gu Weng and the others in a mutual silent standoff, each waiting for the others to feel awkward and go. Satisfied, she finally watched as only she remained.

Only then did she rise, calling out “A’Jie” in a slightly uncertain voice. The concept of a fifth-rank official — she now understood it. Zhù Ying still called her “A’Jie.”

Zhao Niangzi said, “A’Jie — Little Sister on the mountain asked me to send her greetings.”

“Is everything going well for her?”

“She spent so long getting all those people under control — and she finally did it!” Zhao Niangzi said happily. “She also heard that the court doesn’t allow officials to leave their posting, so she didn’t come herself. She just asked me to pass along a question — when might she see you?”

“Anytime she likes.”

“Ah — and one more thing. She wants to ask you first. If you agree, she’ll bring the child to meet you; if it doesn’t seem right, then consider this unsaid. She wants — since she herself started too late when she came down to the county to attend school — to entrust her younger daughter to you to teach. Would that be all right?”

Zhù Ying asked in surprise, “She doesn’t want the younger daughter to take over her family’s affairs?”

“Of course she does — that’s exactly why. She says the girl needs to learn more skills in order to manage things well when she’s older.”

Zhù Ying asked, “Younger daughter — she’s six?”

“Yes.”

“Teaching and raising a child — I have no particular objection on my end. She’s six now; to be properly educated into someone capable would take until she’s twelve or thirteen, and I’d still worry that might not be enough. At that age she’d be leaving home — she’d have less time with her clanspeople. Six or seven years away; the longer she stays outside, the more distant she’d become from her kinspeople. That would not be good for ruling over the clan.”

Zhao Niangzi said, “Then I’ll send word back and ask her what she thinks.”

“Good. I’ll stay a couple more days.”

Zhù Ying gave Zhao Niangzi a travel-pass note; Zhao Niangzi had a courier sent out of the city that very night with the letter. Gu Tong remained with Zhù Ying at the Clear Breeze Pavilion. Hearing that she would stay a couple more days, he grew restless: “Teacher, there’s nothing wrong at the yamen, is there? We’ve already left the yamen in the Administrator’s hands for so long — he won’t cause trouble, will he?” Not so much time praising his appearance now, was there?

“Not saying he looked like a good official anymore?”

“You can’t judge a person’s character by their face!” Gu Tong said. “He doesn’t speak the dialect — that’s why he hasn’t done anything yet. Once he learns it, there’s no telling what will happen.”

Zhù Ying said, “It won’t come to that.”

She showed not the slightest urgency. The next morning, she changed into plain clothes and went to squat by the market for half a day, chatting with people. The townspeople here quickly accepted that she was just the same as ever and stopped fussing; returning to their old habit, they exchanged a few words with her whenever she passed, and some even tried to sell her their wares. Some shops along the street had closed, with a note on the door: Gone home for harvest, back in a fortnight.

Zhù Ying ate three portions of rice cakes, drank sugarcane juice twice, and was found by Gu Tong — who came looking — when she passed a cured-meat shop.

Zhù Ying said, “Didn’t you go home? Aren’t you spending time with your family?”

Gu Tong had been accompanying her continuously of late, north and south, rarely going back to the Gu household. This time, arriving in Fulu County, Zhù Ying had specially given Gu Tong a few days of leave to properly reunite with his family. Xiang An had also been sent home for a few days. Right now she had no one attending her particularly closely and was wandering by herself.

Gu Tong said, “I was just in the middle of playing cards with them — losing terribly! Luckily someone said a visitor had come to the yamen to see Teacher, so I used that as an excuse to escape.”

Zhù Ying said, “A little gambling for entertainment is fine — just don’t get hooked.”

“Ha, I don’t have that kind of money to lose.”

“You’re out of money? Where did it all go?”

“I have money — it’s just the money I lost that’s gone,” Gu Tong said, and very naturally took the armful of little items out of Zhù Ying’s hands.

Zhù Ying carried the wine gourd; he took the odds and ends, and said, “Word spreads fast.”

“The county town is so small — nothing stays hidden. Someone has something happen in their family, and within a few days half the county knows. You’re back, and they’ve all been watching you.”

The two talked as they walked back to Clear Breeze Pavilion. Once things were put down, Gu Tong asked, “Teacher, there’s nothing wrong at the yamen, is there?”

Zhù Ying said, “What could be wrong?”

Gu Tong said no more. Seeing Zhù Ying order the wine gourd put away, he sat down on the side and tore open a package of snacks: “Haven’t had these in so long — when we head back let’s buy a bunch more to take home, those little guys Chuizi and Shitou love eating things like this.”

“Fine.”

The teacher and student were both relatively free for the moment. The autumn harvest had already begun, but Zhù Ying had no county under her direct jurisdiction — and even if she did, the protocol was never to personally intervene right away; you needed some kind of justification first. The two sat at the table eating snacks, and before long even Ding Gui and the others were called over — very quickly the one hundred and fifty-six coins’ worth of assorted snacks she had bought were eaten down to nothing.

Gu Tong said, “I’ll go buy some more.”

Ding Gui said, “What need is there for the Young Master to go? I’ll go!”

Gu Tong laughed, “You don’t know how things work here. You’d get cheated.”

“What? But the Prefect has managed this place, and the people are so warm — how could they…”

Gu Tong mocked him: “The only one who gets special treatment is Teacher — at most her three household members too. Xiao Ya has to bargain herself when she goes shopping. I go, and I don’t get special treatment either — I just know which shops are good and which streets to take. You? Who else would they overcharge but you? Even the most honest shopkeeper has a family to support and needs to make a profit!”

The people of Fulu County might be simple and honest, but it varied by person. Some of the small traders and peddlers by the roadside selling their own bits and pieces and home-grown vegetables could barely calculate properly and often got cheated by customers. In recent years, the peddlers were not so easily swindled. These people sitting by the roadsides were country folk who did not entirely depend on this for their living; farming was still their main occupation. The shopkeepers in town were different — they made their living from this. They would naturally use a few tricks. No one was going to fall prey to them.

Zhù Ying said, “If this place were a great harmonious world, why would we need constables or prisons? Their goodwill toward me is genuine, and ordinary people can’t really fool me — but when you’re thinking about things, don’t always be single-minded. The simplicity of the people’s customs and the grain and tax figures of the population and farmland both need tending to from time to time. Call him Gu Tong — let him go. He’s a small landowner there; today let him treat us.”

“Landowner is too grand a word — host of modest hospitality is more accurate. Student will go buy a little something, enough to make sure everyone gets a share.”

Ding Gui said, “Since the Young Master is spending, I’ll tag along and make myself useful — help carry things back.”

The two of them went out for a round. Gu Tong bought over five hundred coins’ worth of various treats; he borrowed a pushcart and came back with Ding Gui driving it. On the way, Gu Tong asked Ding Gui, “A visitor came from the yamen?”

“Yes — the new Justice Department Deputy came to complain. I thought it didn’t look good; I worried he was trying to use the Prefect to go after Administrator Zhang.”

Gu Tong asked, “What did he say?”

Ding Gui recounted everything the Justice Department Deputy had wailed about, point by point. Gu Tong first muttered, “He even dares bad-mouth Teacher behind her back!” and then felt uneasy. “Something seems off. Teacher explained to me that this Administrator Zhang is on the right track — came up fast — he shouldn’t be the sort to carry on this way. What’s he doing this for?”

“Ha! Fear the complaints haven’t turned a one-part flaw into a ten-part flaw.”

“Administrator Zhang has only just arrived — how has he managed to stir up righteous indignation already?”

Ding Gui laughed. “Now that I know something about.”

“Oh? You know?”

Ding Gui said, “The Young Master knows — the four of us, plus my cousin — we’ve all served somewhat notable masters over the generations; several generations of people. We’ve seen all sorts of superiors; when we chat among ourselves we get to know a few tricks better than most. Whatever kind of person Administrator Zhang may be — if he and our Prefect are thick as one person, there’d be nothing those below could take advantage of. A little stirring of trouble doesn’t cost much.”

“And if both sides see through it?”

“Then you say you were blind and admit you were wrong,” Ding Gui said.

Gu Tong said, “What kind of rotten mind is that — all focused on this kind of thing.”

Ding Gui said, “There might be a grain of truth in what Administrator Zhang did, too. I’m just guessing wildly. Young Master, please don’t let it get out — still have to follow the Prefect’s instructions.”

“Don’t worry — I won’t give you away.” Gu Tong had only meant to ask what the Justice Department Deputy had come about; he did not think too highly of Ding Gui’s opinion. If he wanted to know what was going on, he would just ask Zhù Ying directly.

Back at Clear Breeze Pavilion, everyone started dividing up the snacks. The Justice Department Deputy was also called over to eat with them. Gu Tong took the opportunity to get into conversation with him. That evening after dinner he brought over a jug of wine and the two shared a small quiet drink in the moonlight.

The Justice Department Deputy complained to him again: “Young Master Gu, please help us! We beg you to speak to the Prefect on our behalf.”

Gu Tong listened to everything he described and himself felt that if even a fraction of what he said about the Administrator was true, then the Administrator was indeed muddled. He said, “Teacher not going back immediately is for your own good! Once you sent word, Teacher came back — Administrator Zhang would know perfectly well who was behind it. Just stay here comfortably for a few more days. Teacher already knows about this matter; she’ll certainly have a plan.”

He comforted the Justice Department Deputy and then used the opportunity to consult Zhù Ying.

Zhù Ying said, “First: I still have unfinished business here; there is no reason to change my plans on account of this. Second: I still have not seen Administrator Zhang’s case files — I cannot say he was wrong based on just one side of the story. Third: you may not remember how many cases I took on when I first arrived in Fulu County — but you surely remember the Sicheng County business. In those cases, among those who filed complaints, which side was more often telling the truth — the poor or the rich?”

Gu Tong said, “Even so… even if the powerful do tend to bully others more, judging cases this way is still not reasoning properly, is it?”

Zhù Ying said, “Perhaps the reasoning is not what you imagine. First, don’t make any noise about this; observe! Now that you’re in the midst of officialdom, mingling in the world of officials, many things are not like when you were a student reading books — when I asked you to memorize a few texts and you did, and you could score better than others. Some things, Teacher can say all she likes, but it’s not as good as seeing for yourself.”

“Then student will observe first.”

Zhù Ying said, “The Justice Department Deputy can stay on. As long as Administrator Zhang doesn’t find out and doesn’t discipline him, you act as if this never happened.”

“Yes.”

……

Zhù Ying stayed two more days, did not let County Chief Mo arrange her schedule, went for a walk around the county outskirts herself, looked at the rice, came back to look at the storehouses and such.

Su Mingluan arrived.

Su Mingluan had a residence near the county office. She was no longer living there but had not sold it yet — a trusted subordinate was looking after it. When she came, she stayed there rather than at the guesthouse. Word reached the county office, and someone sprinted to Clear Breeze Pavilion to report it. At one end, Tong Li came running to Clear Breeze Pavilion; at the other end, Su Mingluan sent a calling card over.

Gu Tong led Tong Li off for tea and snacks; Zhù Ying had just received Su Mingluan’s calling card. Opening it, she saw it clearly written that Su Mingluan had come bringing her daughter.

It seemed she was firmly resolved to put her child in Zhù Ying’s hands.

“Please invite her in.”

Zhao Niangzi accompanied her niece and grandniece in together. Su Mingluan was wearing her official dress, spirited and striking, her eyes brighter than before. The little girl’s clothing still had the characteristic mixed style — the cut was that of the lowland people, but the embroidery was distinctly different.

Zhù Ying said, “You’re here.”

Su Mingluan said, “Greetings to Godfather.”

The little girl imitated her mother and also made a bow.

“Please sit.”

Zhù Ying had tea served and also commandeered a large share of Gu Tong’s snacks, piling them by the little girl’s side. The little girl looked at them curiously. Su Mingluan said, “Xiao Mei, go ahead and eat.”

Only then did Xiao Mei begin; the chair was high and her two legs dangled, swinging back and forth. Zhù Ying saw that she was considerably more lively than the last time they had met in the mountain stronghold.

Zhù Ying asked Su Mingluan, “Have you thought it through?”

Su Mingluan said, “Godfather — what kind of people are there in Asu County?”

“Mostly your clanspeople, I imagine?”

“Yes.” Almost everyone in Asu County was from the Asu family, with a small number of other Ying-tribe families and an even smaller number of people from other tribes. There were also a handful of people who had fled up into the mountains from the lowlands for various reasons.

Su Mingluan said, “If it is just slash-and-burn farming, mutual killing, ritual sacrifice, and slave-driving — the current way of life can sustain itself. If we want something better — setting aside ‘education’ and ‘participation in governance’ — even just to manage the family affairs more capably, reading, accounting, issuing orders, and arranging people to do different things are all things that must be learned. If you want the stronghold to grow stronger, you have to do better than those who came before, and it will begin to look more and more like a government office. Even the most knowledgeable shaman in the stronghold has less to teach someone than an average Academy Director from the lowlands! Xiao Mei needs to learn to read, learn arithmetic, learn to write essays and manage affairs!”

“Too long away from one’s homeland, and one loses familiarity with the local situation — in terms of bloodline she is one of the people, but at heart, she may not easily be accepted.”

Su Mingluan said with determination, “There are always trade-offs to be made. Learn people’s principles well, and returning home — even if it is difficult — you can still hold your ground. And besides, I will still be there. Godfather is not from Fulu County either, and yet how dearly the people here love you! You were not born in the stronghold either, but A’Ba, A’Ma, and I — we were all willing to trust you. I am willing to entrust my child to you. How things go still depends on the person.”

Zhù Ying said, “You are too flattering.”

“Every word is true,” Su Mingluan said.

Zhù Ying said, “Such a young child leaving home — illness, homesickness, even danger, and you would not be there at her side.”

“Those are minor things. I want to give her the best; she’ll have to endure hardships herself.”

Zhù Ying looked at the child. The girl was beautiful, with a trace of wildness in her eyes. Zhù Ying asked, “Your mother is about to let you go off with me — are you afraid?”

“No!” Xiao Mei answered loudly and clearly.

“Hmm?”

The little girl’s nose wrinkled upward first when she smiled, and then her whole face lit up: “I’m not afraid.”

Su Mingluan said, “I’ve prepared several attendants for her — please take them in as well.” She had given her daughter four servants: one adult man and one adult woman, plus two girls close to Xiao Mei’s age. Whether man or woman servant, all had rather pleasant faces. They could manage some simple phrases in the local dialect. Xiao Mei herself could also say a few simple things in the dialect; Su Mingluan said, “I taught her a little — I’m always so busy and could never teach very much. We can’t put it off any longer; to start at my age would be too late.”

Zhù Ying said, “We can’t keep calling her Xiao Mei — she must have a proper name.”

Su Mingluan said, “I gave her a name — Su Zhe. I don’t know if it’s suitable.”

“As long as it’s not an ill-omened name, what could be unsuitable? Which character for ‘Zhe’?”

Su Mingluan said, “Two ‘ji’ — the character for double auspiciousness.”

“That’s quite nice. Good meaning too.”

“Then Godfather agrees?”

Zhù Ying nodded. “Agreed.” Having this child come to her had even a slightly “hostage” quality about it. The life of a “hostage” was difficult — stuck between two worlds, neither side quite at home.

Su Mingluan then had her daughter make a proper salute to Zhù Ying. The little girl had obviously been rehearsed; she made a bow, her manner quite convincing. Her very first words were, “Greetings, A’Weng!”

Zhù Ying choked briefly, then said, “Very good. Come here!”

She unfastened the jade pendant from her waist and gave it to Su Zhe: “This will serve as a gift for our meeting.”

Su Zhe said, “But we have already met before — A’Weng gave me a gift-for-meeting gift then.”

“Then we’ll give one again.”

The little girl accepted the jade pendant and tied it to her own small sash. Her fingers were very nimble; in two or three moves she had the pendant secured at her waist.

Su Mingluan said, “She’s already learned some characters — she’s finished memorizing the literacy song, though she hasn’t recognized all the characters in it yet.”

Zhù Ying said, “She’s a clever child.”

Su Mingluan said, “If she were a dull child, I wouldn’t go to all this trouble.” If her daughter were simple-minded, she would at most arrange for her a comfortable and easy life, and then quickly get on with having another child. The stronghold was still best passed down through one’s own bloodline. As long as her daughter showed promise, she had no desire to expend energy on having more children.

Zhù Ying said, “How is the stronghold doing?”

“Fine — people are finally taking over managing things. Ha! Not letting them take over was not an option! Once they can read and calculate, it really does make things more convenient.”

The two talked about governance issues for a while. Su Mingluan had both questions to ask and requests to raise. Her thinking was: now that she was a court-appointed official, surely trade restrictions could be relaxed a bit? At least not limited to just Fulu County — her clanspeople should be able to venture further inland.

Zhù Ying said, “Naturally.”

Su Mingluan said with a laugh, “That is most welcome! As long as Godfather says so, I’ll send people to try it first.”

“How’s the harvest?”

“A few more days before we can start reaping — I came down the mountain now to get things done in time to return. The matter of asking the court to set up an official office that Godfather mentioned earlier… is the time right now?”

Zhù Ying raised an eyebrow: “There’s more to say.”

Su Mingluan laughed: “Yes.”

At first she had not wanted to do this — she had feared the court would interfere too much with her territory, and more importantly, the court had had a poor record, always sowing discord. For the past half year she had been busy with one thing only: securing firm control over the entire Asu family in her own hands. Those who had dared defy her were now more or less dealt with. It was time to ask the court for a few county-level official positions, to reward the people who had been serving her loyally all along.

Zhù Ying said, “You still want to designate the people yourself and have the court approve?”

Su Mingluan said frankly, “Yes.” She was still far from having a seat at court, and could not simply hand over her ancestral territory to people designated by the court — could she?

Zhù Ying sighed: “Time to write another memorial!”

Su Mingluan said, “That certainly won’t be a problem for Godfather.”

Zhù Ying said, “Very well — settled.” She would also need to write a memorial, explaining the situation on Su Mingluan’s behalf.

Su Mingluan reached into her sleeve and produced a memorial: “Please review it, Godfather. If anything is not quite right, I’ll revise it and return home once it’s corrected.”

Conveniently, she could also stay with her daughter in the lowlands for a few more days to help her adjust. Su Zhe had performed well — no crying or tantrums, and had already settled in together with her mother.

Zhù Ying was more understanding than Su Mingluan had expected: “The county to the prefectural city is only a few days’ journey — come to my place. Since I became Prefect in the prefectural city, you haven’t come to see my territory yet.”

Su Mingluan said with a smile, “I couldn’t ask for more.”

Zhù Ying and she spent a day in the county seat, revising the memorial and writing her own — dispatched from Fulu County on the spot to the capital. Then they led the mother and daughter and set out to return to the prefectural city.

……

Su Mingluan had come down the mountain fully prepared — not only had the memorial been written and her daughter brought down complete with luggage, she had also brought along a trusted subordinate.

Zhù Ying knew this person too — one of Su Mingluan’s companions in study, a young woman named Su Qingtian. She and Su Mingluan were from the same clan; she had been born on a day when prolonged rain finally gave way to sunshine, so her given name was “Sunny Day.” She found the name quite fitting and saw no need to change it when she came to the lowlands.

She met Zhù Ying and called out, “Teacher!”

Zhù Ying smiled: “Very good. The trading business is entrusted to you?”

Su Qingtian said, “The stronghold’s output is only so much; if we want to do well, we have to go down the mountain more often and deal in goods.” And it was not only commercial trade — as Zhù Ying had told them: if they relied only on trade, Zhù Ying could empty the stronghold’s coffers. She also had a mission to “study” to accompany her commercial activities. Getting to do some business on the side to supplement the household was even better.

She would not be staying in the yamen with Su Zhe — she planned to rent a place outside and live there, having brought some helpers along. Her luggage also included various mountain produce.

The party traveled for three days and reached Nanping County’s borders.

Su Mingluan rode on horseback with her daughter cradled in the saddle before her, and let out a long sigh: “How vast it all is!!!”

“Has the mountain territory become smaller again?” Zhù Ying asked.

“It’s a different kind of vastness,” Su Mingluan said.

Su Zhe sat before her mother on the horse, curiously taking in the scenery — so different from the land where she had grown up. Southern Prefecture’s territory also had some hills and ridges, but far more level land than the Asu family’s territory. Zhù Ying introduced things for Su Zhe’s benefit as they went, and also let Su Mingluan listen in.

Governance of remote places was already simpler than in wealthy regions, yet hearing it, Su Mingluan was still moved: “So governing a place really is this complicated!”

“A prefecture is more than several times harder than a county. It’s like running a household — managing two people is more than twice the effort of managing one; it’s not just doubling the household property, you also have to prevent quarrels. And you have to prevent them from becoming merely ordinary and poor after the household splits. Governing a place works the same way.”

Su Mingluan nodded repeatedly: “I only wish I could still hear Godfather’s guidance as often as before.”

“You’ve already got your footing — do you still need others to teach you? I see that you’ve already grasped the essentials.”

Both smiled at that.

Another day of travel, and by evening they had reached the prefectural city.

Su Zhe’s mouth fell open in a wide circle: “Wow! So tall!”

The scale of a prefectural city was much larger than a county town; the walls were also higher. Magistrate Guo and the others had already heard word from the guesthouse and came running out to receive them.

Zhù Ying dismounted and said, “No need for formalities. How is the harvest?”

Magistrate Guo said, “Good — all going smoothly. It’s just that… as long as the people aren’t distracted by other things, it would go even better!”

His last words came out very quietly. His rank was equal to Administrator Zhang’s — but in official hierarchy the Administrator was his superior. Magistrate Guo had a stomach full of grievances: “Just when this official was overseeing the harvest, I looked around and found that some people were doing their work haphazardly — and when I asked, they had gone to the yamen to watch the spectacle. Prefect, this is not negligence on this official’s part!”

He felt deeply aggrieved!

Zhù Ying said, “From today forward, just make sure the harvest goes smoothly.”

“Yes!” All the gloom vanished from Magistrate Guo’s face; he immediately looked full of energy. “Who might this be?”

He had finally noticed Su Mingluan.

Zhù Ying said, “The Asu County magistrate, Su Mingluan. Xiao Mei — this is Nanping County’s Magistrate Guo.”

Magistrate Guo quickly recalled who this person was, clasped his hands in a bow, and said, “So — ah — it’s you.” The common form of address between officials was “Brother So-and-so” or “Honorable So-and-so,” but Magistrate Guo knew Su Mingluan was a woman. He suddenly tripped over himself and mumbled something vague.

Su Mingluan obligingly said, “So this is Magistrate Guo — I just heard Godfather say you are a capable person.”

“God— Godfather? Oh! Prefect? Congratulations, Prefect! Congratulations, Magistrate Su!”

Zhù Ying said, “This happened long ago — congratulations this late is rather overdue. She has her own business here and won’t cause you any trouble. There are matters at the yamen that I’ll handle. You go ahead.”

“Yes.” Magistrate Guo accompanied them all the way to the yamen gate, and then asked whether the guesthouse needed to be prepared.

Zhù Ying said, “They’re staying in the yamen.”

Magistrate Guo thought to himself: you’re one family — do what you like. It did not even occur to him that Su Mingluan, as a magistrate of another county, was technically not supposed to cross over into a different county without reason. In his mind, Su Mingluan was still a tribal chieftain. So her going wherever she pleased was perfectly normal. If anything went wrong, Zhù Ying was there to bear the brunt of it.

Zhù Ying first led Su Mingluan and the others to the rear residence. Su Mingluan and Zhang Xiangu were old acquaintances; she called out “Grandma” the moment she saw her, and had her daughter come and make a proper greeting. Zhang Xiangu was at exactly the age when she most adored children; she could not take her eyes off the little girl. “What a pretty one!” She reached up, felt her own ornaments — not suitable for a small child — and had Huajie go open the trunks to find some fabric and the like.

Zhù Ying said, “Since Mother likes her so much, I’ll let her stay at our house — what do you say?”

Zhang Xiangu thought her daughter was being polite and immediately said, “That would be wonderful! It’s just that with such a beautiful little girl — who would give her to you?”

Su Mingluan said, “I would.”

Zhang Xiangu was blindsided: “What?”

Zhù Ying said, “She’s sending her daughter to stay and study.”

“A girl at school — how will that work? There are boys everywhere!” Zhang Xiangu was very worried. “And you’re not worried, sending a girl to live among boys?”

Zhù Ying said, “Didn’t she bring companions? Xiao Ya, please help arrange quarters for them.”

Then it was time to open the storeroom for bedding, while Xiao Ya swept and cleaned. Su Mingluan had brought servants who also helped set things up. She looked at the living conditions at the prefectural yamen — much better than the county office, and the rooms were spacious. The small courtyard they were given had writing desks and bookshelves — no need to purchase anything extra.

Zhù Ying put the female servants with Su Zhe in the rear courtyard and arranged the male servants in the front quarters, next to Xiang Le — because Xiang Le knew the Qixia language and communication would be easier.

Zhang Xiangu, who had been about to ask Zhù Ying what all the sugarcane and equipment were for, now had no mind for that. She sent word to Hou Wu to order food from the restaurant outside, and pressed Xiao Ya to bring out the tea.

Zhù Ying said, “You all get settled — I need to check on the front yamen.” Without a doubt, someone there was anxious to see her.

……

Zhù Ying had not gone to the front yamen, but everyone in the yamen knew she was back. While she was still in the rear residence, Xiang An came in to say, “Prefect, the Justice Department Head requests an audience.”

Zhù Ying slipped away to the front yamen. Administrator Zhang also stepped out of his office and was standing in the corridor waiting for Zhù Ying. The Justice Department Head was standing at the gate between the front and rear sections, and walked all the way with her to the front, saying, “Prefect, please look over that case file…”

He was mid-complaint when he looked up sharply to see Administrator Zhang standing expressionlessly in the corridor.

Zhù Ying spoke first: “Administrator.”

Administrator Zhang also maintained the pretense that he had not heard what the Justice Deputy had just been saying, and clasped his hands in return: “Prefect.”

The two of them acted as though nothing had happened. Only the Justice Department Head was left standing there awkwardly; he cleared his throat and also clasped his hands: “Greetings to the Administrator.”

Administrator Zhang said, “The Prefect has matters to attend to — I’ll come and find the Prefect later.”

The Justice Department Head steeled himself — you couldn’t lodge half a complaint and leave, could you? — and followed Zhù Ying into the administrative office. While Ding Gui was pouring tea, the Department Head nearly snatched the cup to deliver it to Zhù Ying himself, earning several curious looks from Ding Gui.

Zhù Ying said, “I’ve already seen the Justice Department Deputy — is this about Administrator Zhang’s case rulings?”

“Yes! Isn’t this complete disorder?” The Justice Department Head opened the floodgates, then gradually calmed down and slowly laid out the full story.

Magistrate Guo was a reasonably competent county magistrate; each year at harvest time he personally supervised the work and would sometimes go out to the countryside to look around. He also had some personal attention to the county’s official fields outside the city, and while not extensively touring the countryside, he would at least get out of the city. When he left, anyone wanting to file a complaint could not find him; the county office staff had no mind for anything else during the harvest and also had little desire to accept complaints. The plaintiff turned to the prefectural yamen instead — and Zhù Ying was also not at the yamen.

But the prefectural yamen was comparatively less busy than the county yamen at this time; Xiao Wu and the others had their hands full, while Administrator Zhang, having just arrived, was relatively free — and he took the case.

Without asking further questions, he began beating the wealthy parties, and from that moment his reputation spread throughout the city.

The Justice Department Head reached this point, then added a complaint: “When the Prefect arrived, you didn’t behave like this! He makes things so difficult for the gentry… and while he was doing this, he also began calling for old case files to review. Prefect — you already ordered a review of all old cases. What is he looking at them for now?”

He complained at length until his mouth was dry, then stopped.

Zhù Ying said, “I see. You’ve worked hard too; you must have been swallowing bitter herbs lately. Ding Gui — have the kitchen simmer a big pot of cooling tea to keep on hand.”

Ding Gui said, “Yes.”

The Justice Department Head said, “Cooling tea probably only treats the symptom, not the cause.”

“All right, no more grumbling — I know everything now. Go back for now; I’ll give everyone an answer.”

The Justice Department Head departed in satisfaction.

Zhù Ying then had someone summon Administrator Zhang.

Administrator Zhang came fully prepared, carrying a thick stack of case files. Zhù Ying said, “What is all this?”

Administrator Zhang said, “While the Prefect was on tour, since the county offices were busy with the harvest, the prefectural yamen took on a number of lawsuits. The files are all here — please review them, Prefect.”

Zhù Ying said, “This many?”

Administrator Zhang said, “I hadn’t anticipated it myself either.”

With that, he placed all the files on Zhù Ying’s desk and said, “All of them are here. I have already reviewed everything once; all depositions are on record; physical evidence is stored in the evidence room.”

“Are there any homicide cases?”

“None so far.”

“Oh, then there’s no hurry.”

Administrator Zhang drew in a careful breath and said, “Prefect should still go over them — you are Southern Prefecture’s Prefect, after all!”

Zhù Ying said, “Fine.”

She truly picked up the first case and began reading. She read; Administrator Zhang watched her — watchfully, without giving himself away. As he watched, Zhang Jiong began to feel uncertain: was this so meticulous a person really going through things this quickly? Could it be that the person truly capable was the subordinates she had assembled, and she herself simply issued orders and let them carry out the work?

Zhù Ying finished the ten files very quickly. All twenty-two were there; among the ten, every one judged by the “poor vs. wealthy” standard — who was right and who was not — had no actual moral errors. The problems lay only in “the severity of the punishment.”

Administrator Zhang was extremely shrewd; he had a clear accounting of things in his mind. Some of the case files on paper gave no indication of wealth at all — beyond “officials,” everyone was just “the people.” No matter how you phrased things, you could still tell from the circumstances which party was in a position of strength and which of weakness. The particulars of the story as written revealed this — for instance, in a village, who was the clan elder and who was an ordinary clan member.

The distinction was quite obvious.

Administrator Zhang had carefully identified the status of each party and then ruled in favor of whichever side was poorer and more disadvantaged — the old and weak, the ill and disabled.

Zhù Ying took a sip of tea and continued reading through the remaining twelve. From them she then picked out five that she judged to have problems. One of these was the case of the Zhang wealthy household whose complaint had sent the Justice Department Deputy running to Fulu County.

The facts of the case were as follows: two households of the same clan. Zhang the Scoundrel had no property left; Zhang the Wealthy was reasonably upright. “Reasonably” — because Zhang the Wealthy had purchased the field from Zhang the Scoundrel but had not registered the transfer with the authorities and had not paid the tax. The two had drawn up a private deed of sale between themselves.

After hearing that Administrator Zhang “took pity on the poor,” Zhang the Scoundrel went and filed a complaint, claiming Zhang the Wealthy had seized his farmland.

Transactions between kinsmen for farmland were typically priced a little below market; the price Zhang the Wealthy stated in his complaint was not especially low — about ninety percent of market value. That was quite reasonable.

Not yet registered — the deed was still in Zhang the Scoundrel’s name, legally speaking.

Administrator Zhang asked one question: “Will you pay the tax?”

Zhang the Scoundrel promised in court: “I will! I’ll pay the back tax!”

Administrator Zhang ruled the field to Zhang the Scoundrel.

Zhang the Wealthy’s misfortune did not end there — it was harvest time, and with this ruling, the grain Zhang the Wealthy had grown all year had simply been handed over. He had not actually tilled the land himself, but he had paid for the seed, tools, oxen, and the cost of hired laborers. The purchase money had already been given to Zhang the Scoundrel.

Zhù Ying said, “I’ll keep these five.”

Administrator Zhang leaned over to look, and received a shock — he had spotted all of them!

He steadied himself and said, “Yes. This official has something to say regarding the Zhang case.”

“I am not doubting the Administrator.”

“This official also served at the county level, and the Prefect knows this kind of situation is common: if left to keep growing, the outcome would not have been a simple wealthy local — it would have become an entrenched local tyrant. An unchecked local tyrant is a problem that only grows.”

Administrator Zhang had also been a county magistrate and could see through the tricks involved. Zhang the Scoundrel was clearly no good character — one look told you that; a quick investigation confirmed he was a confirmed gambler. With gambling addicts, very little humanity remained; even wives and children could be sold. Administrator Zhang had previously seen someone swear off gambling after chopping off two fingers, then turn up later shaking dice cups with three.

“Zhang the Wealthy? Ha — he deserves a lesson!” He had done it deliberately.

Zhù Ying nodded: “Even if it goes to Zhang the Scoundrel, he’ll sell it off again before the new year. Someone like him is not going to plow hard. The field will go fallow again. Right now agricultural production takes priority; let Zhang the Wealthy pay the back tax and have the field returned to him — how does that sound?”

Administrator Zhang kept a stern official face and said, “If the Prefect puts it that way, this official has nothing to say to that!”

Zhù Ying waited for him to address the other four cases, but he said no more — just gave a formal bow, waited until it was time to leave the office, and then went home.

His servant led his horse. Seeing him walking with an unchanging stern expression and saying nothing, he dared not ask. All the way along the road, poor people kept greeting Administrator Zhang; wealthy people detoured around him.

Administrator Zhang nodded to those who greeted him and gave only a cold sidelong glance to those who avoided him.

Back home, the servant carefully said, “Is there something troubling you, Administrator? Did Prefect Zhù… did the Prefect rebuke you?”

Administrator Zhang looked at him; the servant shrank his head. Administrator Zhang gave a small upward twitch of the corners of his mouth and smiled.

The servant was baffled, and carefully asked again, “Administrator, does this mean… you’ve been made so angry you’ve gone mad? Did the Prefect rebuke you?”

Administrator Zhang laughed aloud: “What would it matter if she rebuked me?” He composed himself. “When you go outside, be courteous to the poor — understand?”

“Yes. But Administrator — the wealthy households all walk around you. This…” The servant had also been slipped red packets and been asked to find out things, and wanted to get it straight from Zhang Jiong.

Administrator Zhang said, “The ‘wealthy households’ here count for ‘wealthy’? Ha ha ha ha! They break the law just as much as anyone else — what’s the point of indulging them?”

“Prefect Zhù upholds principle” would never spread as fast as “Administrator Zhang takes pity on the poor.”

In the half-month after Zhù Ying left, Administrator Zhang established his reputation in one stroke — no one could forget that there was still an Administrator in the prefecture while Prefect Zhù held the reins of the whole.