The two-character sheet of paper from Zhù Ying reached Shang Peiji through the official channels of formal correspondence. The messenger who delivered it was a yamen runner from the Prefect’s residence; Shang Peiji was seething inside, yet had to say to the man before him, his fingers crumpling the edges of the paper: “Please convey to the Prefect that I have received the Prefect’s instructions.”
The runner answered: “Yes.” He remained where he stood for a moment, in case Shang Peiji had anything to add that he could carry back. But Shang Peiji left it at that one sentence. Seeing that the man did not leave, Shang Peiji asked, “Have you anything else?”
What could I possibly have? “Then this humble one will take his leave,” said the runner.
Shang Peiji lowered his head and looked again at the two-character sheet with genuine concentration; the longer he looked, the angrier he became. Fine, I won’t come — I won’t come! What made him think to audit the accounts? Who reported me? Is it someone in the county yamen? Hmph! Let him audit — I have not committed a single act of corruption or lawlessness!
The runner stepped out of the great hall and was intercepted halfway. “Xiao Wang, my friend.”
“Magistrate Tong!”
“Please don’t stand on ceremony,” said Tong Li. “A word in private.”
The two found an empty room; a county yamen worker brought tea. After Magistrate-in-training Wang had drunk down half a pot of tea, Tong Li finally spoke. “Has the Prefect given any further instructions?”
“None at all,” said Wang. “If you want to find out something, why not just escort the grain to the prefectural city yourself? Lead this task personally — if there’s anything you want to say, you can say it directly to the Prefect; you’re one of the Prefect’s old hands, you can ask a question or two, can’t you?”
“It’s that I don’t know what the Prefect’s intentions are,” said Tong Li.
The runner laughed amiably. “How could the likes of us guess the Prefect’s mind? As long as we follow the Prefect, we’ll never go badly wrong.”
“That’s true, that’s true,” said Tong Li.
He was a little worried. The scheme had been Zhao Su’s, and once it was in motion, Zhao Su had gone off to take his post. Now the Prefect’s residence had sent people to audit the accounts, and the accounts had balanced. This was now a bit awkward. If they let this blockheaded county magistrate keep making a mess of things, by the time three years were up and he was gone, the foundations would be completely hollowed out and everyone would be left to pick up the pieces — and they were all local people.
Tong Li courteously saw Wang off with a red envelope tucked in, then turned around and went to find Shang Peiji to request the task of escorting the grain. When Shang Peiji saw him, he said, “Something to report?”
“The messenger from the Prefect’s residence has been seen off,” said Tong Li. “I have come to ask if there are any further arrangements.”
“The autumn harvest is past,” said Shang Peiji. “We can now conscript able-bodied men for labor service.”
Tong Li asked carefully, “What conscription for, Magistrate?”
“The waterworks and roads are in reasonably good shape — minor repairs will do. This county town is rather cramped, however — it ought to be expanded.”
Tong Li was alarmed. “Magistrate, the county town’s size is set by regulation — expanding it requires petitioning the court for approval! And besides, it is nearly time to plant the winter wheat; we cannot delay the crops.”
“Oh! Winter wheat…” Shang Peiji slapped his forehead. He was unfamiliar with southern agricultural cycles and had let the matter slip his mind. He muttered under his breath, “One after another — not one of them easy to manage. Are you a local?”
“I am,” said Tong Li.
“Sit down,” said Shang Peiji.
Tong Li was wary, but sat across from him carefully. Shang Peiji ordered tea served, and then said in a friendly manner, “How long have you been in the county yamen?”
“Close to ten years, altogether. I muddled through those years being reasonably careful, and so earned this small, insignificant post. There is no comparing oneself to someone of your brilliant prospects, Magistrate.”
Shang Peiji’s mood brightened a little. Something moved in him internally, but he only let out a sigh to show he had taken the words in and yet felt a touch of melancholy, and then said, “The people in this yamen — are you well acquainted with them all?”
“We have worked together for years — to say I don’t know them would be a lie. To say I know them well would also be stretching it. The human heart is difficult to fathom.”
“Exactly!” Shang Peiji sighed in agreement. “There are too many people who are obsequious to your face but shoot arrows from the shadows behind your back!”
Tong Li had not read widely, and the phrase “shoot arrows from the shadows” was a bit beyond him — but “arrows behind your back” he understood perfectly. He silently cursed Shang Peiji as a “thoroughgoing blockhead,” while aloud he nodded along vaguely.
Shang Peiji changed tack and asked, “In the months since I have been in Fulu County, of all the people I see, you are the most reliable. I say this only to you — in your opinion, is there anyone in this county yamen who harbors divided loyalties?”
Tong Li looked at this county magistrate in surprise. “How can the Magistrate say such a thing? Who would dare harbor divided loyalties?”
“You, perhaps — but not others,” said Shang Peiji.
“That can’t be right, surely? Everyone here is easygoing and simple, nothing complicated on anyone’s mind,” said Tong Li.
Shang Peiji shook his head, looked at Tong Li with a meaningful expression, and said, “Why did the Prefect suddenly dispatch people to audit my accounts? I am not afraid of the audit — every single expenditure has its justification. The treasury accumulated so many reserves — and they are meant to be spent on doing things! Otherwise what are they, a miser’s hoard? I do not believe I have been harsh toward the officials and clerks above and below me, and yet…” He trailed off with a sigh.
At first, Shang Peiji’s thinking had been straightforward: the upper governs, the lower complies; he issues the orders, his subordinates execute them; the project is completed, the results come in, and everyone receives commendation together. These past few months, nothing had gone as planned at every turn. Not until Zhù Ying audited the accounts did it dawn on him that people were not listening. That was no way for subordinates to behave. He needed to put the yamen in proper order, before he could carry out his grand designs.
In his mind, since the treasury was well-stocked, he should set about building a model society in Fulu County that accorded with the principles of ritual and civilization.
Watching him deliver these words with such emotion that he was nearly in tears, Tong Li felt as though his heart had been struck by lightning. You think you have grievances? The moment you took office you ordered an inventory of the storehouses, and then when the inventory was done you started spending it down. Of course your accounts look clean — there was a foundation there for you to run through, so you didn’t even need to squeeze anybody for it!
He was better at performing than Shang Peiji; Shang Peiji was on the verge of tears, and he broke into them first. “Magistrate, you have had such a difficult time! You have not skimped on anything for anyone above or below!”
The two of them wept together, and Tong Li said, “I am willing to escort the grain to the prefectural city on your behalf. Wu Grain Inspector is my former supervisor, and I will make sure this errand is carried out well.”
“Much obliged.”
“Don’t mention it, Magistrate.”
Tong Li wiped his tears and went out. Back in his own duty room, he drank a full pot of water, flipped his eyes to the ceiling, grabbed his lapels and fanned himself, and thought: Got to hurry and report to the Prefect — does a piece of work like this deserve to be in Fulu?
…—
The day Tong Li arrived in Wuzhou City, Zhù Ying was at home packing her own luggage. This year it was her turn to go to the capital. Zhang Xiangu still wanted to go along, but Zhù Ying still refused to permit it.
Her parents were getting older by the year; every trip they could be spared was one spared. Huajie held an official position and could not make the journey either. This left Zhang Xiangu extremely anxious. Three thousand li of road, traveling day and night in close company with a crowd of people — what if she were found out? What would they do?
If Huajie could come along, she would not worry so much — there was someone to provide cover. Without a single trusted person, Zhang Xiangu refused to agree.
“You still have things to do here,” said Zhù Ying. “Come, look at this.”
“What is this?”
“All your and Father’s new clothes have been made.”
“What do I need clothes for?” Zhang Xiangu pushed the clothes aside carelessly, then blinked. “Wait — what kind of clothes are these?”
“Daoist robes. The mountain estate’s little Daoist shrine is almost finished — try the clothes on. When you go back up to the estate, you will at least have something to keep you occupied.”
When they stayed up at the estate to escape the summer heat, though the mountains were cool and pleasant, after a long enough stay all the people living there had become well acquainted, and truthfully there was little to do. One could not wander the streets every day and make conversation out of nothing; and at their age, one did not want to be climbing mountains, leaving them with very little entertainment. Come to think of it, the people of the estate — apart from breaking new land, farming it, and doing a little trade — had nothing else to occupy them either.
The estate had gathered people of all sorts of backgrounds and origins; there was no shared festival among them, no common customs. This would not do. With no common ground, if something went wrong, the whole structure would collapse and scatter — she needed to gradually forge a “shared bond.” She had started by standardizing the language and script, and was now planning to build a small Daoist shrine — not a full replica of the ones below in the town, but a place that at least had the feel of one: somewhere people could gather on ordinary days, and where a temple fair could be held at New Year and other festivals.
Zhù Da also loved liveliness and enjoyed being surrounded by people. What was there for him to do up there? He could sit by the shrine and interpret fortune sticks or listen to people tell stories; he himself could boast and spin tales, and that would suit him well. With any energy left over, he could teach small children to read — Zhù Da still knew the character-recognition songs.
“But what about your trip?” asked Zhang Xiangu.
“I have a way — saying it aloud would jinx it.”
Huajie did not know what Zhù Ying had in mind either, but backed her up: “Dry Ma, when has Xiao Zhù ever set out on something she wasn’t sure of? After all these years, do you still not trust her?”
“Well, that’s true,” said Zhang Xiangu.
Zhù Ying piled the clothes into her arms. “All right, go try them on. I may not be able to come back for New Year this year — Elder Sister and the others will be here to keep you company.”
“Then you…”
“I will bring along Xiao Wu and the others — they are all our own people and can manage.”
Zhù Ying was planning to bring Xiao Wu along this trip in order to find him a county assistant magistrate post or the like somewhere along the way. As for the Wuzhou Grain Inspectorate, there was no rush to find a replacement immediately; the several Assistant Grain Inspectors could hold things together for the time being.
“I was just thinking about those plots of land our family has in the capital…” said Zhang Xiangu.
“I will settle accounts with Wen Dalang myself.”
“Oh, good, good.”
“I’ll bring along Sister Hu and the others. Will that do?”
“You say what goes.”
Zhù Ying smiled and went out, calling Xiao Wu first and telling him to pack his bags. “The Prefect is taking me along?!” said Xiao Wu. “Wonderful!”
“Take everything you own along.”
Xiao Wu knelt with a thud. “Prefect, are you driving me away?”
“What future can you have if you keep following at my side? Once the feathers on your wings are dry, you have to fly on your own. Wuzhou is too remote; Xiao Wu’s family also misses you. You know how to write official documents somewhat now, and you have a fair grasp of yamen affairs — it is time to go and accumulate your own credentials.”
Xiao Wu blubbered, one hand wiping his nose, one hand wiping his tears. “Is there any better place in the world than by your side?”
“At my side, you wouldn’t even dare pad your expense accounts properly. You call that good?” Zhù Ying said with dry amusement.
“I swear I will never do it again!”
“Stop making that face,” said Zhù Ying. “You’ll accompany me to the capital, which will give me the opportunity to speak directly to the Ministry of Personnel. Otherwise, with the little private funds you’ve scraped together, you expect to grease the wheels at the Ministry yourself and get a placement you’re happy with? Work hard and you’ll get further — it benefits everyone.”
Something stirred just slightly inside Xiao Wu as well. Riding along at the Prefect’s side was certainly a way to rise — but the chief official herself lived so simply that you could not exactly hope for much in the way of personal enjoyment. Running off to beg for an official post himself would really cost him a lot of blood. Better to catch one more free ride while he could. He wept for a while to make his position clear, then clambered up, still sniffling, and said between sobs, “Then Prefect, please never forget about me.”
“Go pack. Whatever you take away this time, I’ll turn a blind eye.”
“There is absolutely nothing embezzled,” said Xiao Wu, and disappeared like a wisp of smoke to pack his things. Beyond his salary and official allowances, he had indeed picked up certain perquisites along the way; all converted into compact valuables, his luggage looked modest but contained goods worth a hundred jin of gold.
While he was packing, he heard someone calling him. “Grain Inspector, Fulu has sent their grain delivery — says it’s an old acquaintance of yours, asking to see you.”
Xiao Wu hurried out to look. It was Tong Li. The two fell in together arm in arm; first there was the handover, then a trip to the Prefect’s residence. Tong Li pressed a red envelope into Xiao Wu’s hands, and Xiao Wu said, “How could I accept this?”
“Chief, still being polite with your own brothers? That would be fake.”
The two laughed and joked together. Xiao Wu pocketed the gift and led Tong Li before Zhù Ying.
…
By now Zhù Ying had more or less finished processing her official documents, and was just instructing Zhao Zhen and the others: “The four of you — pack your bags, and come with me to the capital.”
Zhao Zhen, Jing Sheng, Wang Sheng, and Fang Sheng were all delighted. “We can come too?”
“So — do you want to go or not?”
“Yes!” all four answered in unison. Read ten thousand volumes, travel ten thousand li — this was an opportunity they could only pray for.
“Bring plenty of warm clothing. Don’t try to get away with your clothes from here — you’ll need at least double the thickness.”
“Yes!”
Xiao Wu was outside talking with Xiao Liu. Zhù Ying heard them from inside and asked, “Who’s outside?”
Xiao Wu came in and said, “Tong Li has arrived and requests an audience.”
“Good timing,” said Zhù Ying. “You also need to be packing your bags — take those four with you and tell them how to prepare luggage for travel north.”
Xiao Wu could only regretfully lead the four out, and let Tong Li in alone.
Tong Li came before Zhù Ying and, out of old habit, moved ahead to do the work of Ding Gui and the others. “Set that down,” said Zhù Ying. “Tell me — what has happened?”
“Prefect,” said Tong Li. “If you don’t step in soon, there will be no way to live in Fulu.”
“How so?”
Tong Li glanced at Ding Gui. Zhù Ying tilted her chin toward Ding Gui, who bowed and withdrew. “Speak,” said Zhù Ying.
Tong Li lowered his voice. “The income from the official lands he pocketed himself, and sent a great deal of gifts to the capital. For any further expenses in the yamen, he draws from the public accounts, and that is eating through the treasury. Everything he plans to do going forward will also come out of the treasury. He has done a few things with it — for instance, building an infant welfare hall and the like. The other day he was also talking about expanding the county town — I managed to dissuade him, but do you know how much labor that would require? He has also raised taxes. Prefect, your taxes were so light! And now he has come along and raised them! My uncles and brothers, my grandfather’s generation — the whole lot have been coming to my door to complain, asking what this tax is about, and how am I supposed to have any say in it?”
Once he started reporting, there was no end to it; Tong Li spoke on and on.
The public lands and public operating funds — even from their names it was clear they were for running the yamen, though they were also at the principal official’s discretion. When Zhù Ying left, she had left two separate storehouses for Fulu County: one public, drawing from all rental and tax revenues, and one for the yamen — the public operating expenses. Ordinarily, a successor taking over from a predecessor could expect to inherit two main headaches, and those two storehouses were precisely them. She had a certain sentimental attachment to Fulu and had not swept away the public operating accounts when she left; both money and grain had been left behind in considerable quantity. When Magistrate Mo departed in his turn, he also had not dared take it all, and everything had ended up benefiting Shang Peiji.
By convention, the public operating expenses fell to the principal official’s discretion, and Shang Peiji had used them according to that convention. These accounts were difficult to audit for irregularities — as long as the official lands were still there, you could not say Shang Peiji had embezzled or misappropriated public property; you could only say he had been poor at managing it and failed to generate income. And failing to generate income was not a crime. Then Shang Peiji had run into the trap Zhù Ying had laid for him — under Zhù Ying, the staff’s treatment had always been excellent. When it came time to issue payments, the public operating funds had already been spent down, and so the “public” accounts were drawn upon instead. Furthermore, to build toward the dream in his heart — constructing this thing, producing that thing, mobilizing students and gentry, and holding poetry gatherings, flower-viewing parties, and banquets besides — the expenditures were far from small.
“It is just showing off for his own sake, isn’t it?” said Tong Li. “The county students — they only began to have any semblance of dignity after the Prefect came. How are they going to put up with him demanding that each of them acknowledge him as the pinnacle of talent and learning? When he goes out to the countryside, we have to go ahead and arrange everything for him — how much regular work does that interrupt? He goes out and looks around, and comes back with a frown on his face and says things don’t look right.”
“The tax he imposed is not heavy,” said Zhù Ying.
Tong Li was overcome with grief. “That is because the Prefect treated us so well!”
He was someone Zhù Ying had personally selected; when she was choosing this batch of yamen runners, she had been careful to pick people whose ties to powerful local families were limited — they came from modest backgrounds, with no wealthy relatives. Their sense of how officials treated people was thus more keenly felt. It was true that the tax Shang Peiji had imposed would not be considered heavy by any broader standard — but compared to the especially light burden under Zhù Ying, merely “returning to normal” was enough to cause real suffering. It was enough to ensure that poor people could no longer save even a grain of surplus.
Even a county magistrate — with just one word — could make the people below him suffer for years. Zhù Ying toured the countryside without pomp, without requiring advance preparations. Shang Peiji demanded to see a “pastoral scene of farmers and simple fare.” At first, everyone had assumed he was like Zhù Ying — but the very first time he went out to the countryside, he came back with furrowed brows and said things did not look right. Everyone was forced to prepare properly in advance.
“Everything you have told me I now know,” said Zhù Ying. “He does have genuine intention to accomplish things.”
“He only spends money and never earns any! How is that acceptable?”
“He is a court-appointed official. Replacing him with the next one may not yield anything better.”
Tong Li grew even more aggrieved.
“I left Fulu with so many families of official connections for precisely this kind of moment,” said Zhù Ying. “You all still have consciences — if you had gone along with him, flattered him, and helped him oppress the people, you would have lived more comfortably. You did not do that. I am very glad.”
Tong Li wiped his face. So the Prefect is not opposing us when we make life difficult for that dim-witted county magistrate? Good then!
“We were only acting on conscience,” he said.
“Conscience is the important thing,” said Zhù Ying. “Outside officials are outsiders; you are the people who belong here — you cannot leave. Fellow villagers and townspeople — when people are poor, they cannot weather hardship. You should all look after each other a little more. You and Xiao Wu and the others haven’t seen each other for a long time, have you? Eat a meal together before you head back.”
“The Prefect is our own person! Even away from Fulu, you’re still our own person! Please don’t treat us as outsiders!” Tong Li now had his footing. Zhù Ying had someone bring him water to wash his face; he tidied himself up and went out. The Prefect truly knows how to treat people. Nobody else compares.
Before her departure, Zhù Ying still had many things to attend to. After she left, she was entrusting Wuzhou to Deputy Prefect Zhang Jiong; Zhang Jiong had no jurisdiction in the mountains, so she had to make arrangements for the mountains herself. She had a meal with Tong Li, and then called for the magistrates of the five counties to come to the prefectural city. They also had to deliver a certain quantity of grain and cloth — they could all bring those shipments down the mountain personally.
Zhù Ying assembled them in the great hall of the Prefect’s residence. The five counties had had a good harvest this year; the grain and cloth amounts that had been agreed upon with them were based on one rice season as the baseline. Zhù Ying had also taught them to plant winter wheat, bringing in an additional harvest that had not been factored into the original agreement — overall, they were coming out ahead. Delivering some grain and cloth was something they did not feel was unfair.
When everyone was seated, Zhù Ying first exchanged pleasantries and asked about the hardships of the journey down. Then she said that she was going to the capital this year and would not be back until the following year; if anyone had things to address, they should speak up now.
The matter of trade — naturally, with her departure, it would no longer be so convenient. Zhù Ying said, “The original purpose was to ensure safety on the road and trustworthiness in the transactions. By now, after all this time, you have all developed a clear sense of which people can be trusted and which ones cheat. There is no need for me to accompany every trip. It is simply that people trust me and feel safe traveling with me. Now that Suoning has been eliminated, there is no one attacking merchants anymore. I have already issued the order — those who wish to trade within the mountains may go ahead at the usual time on their own. On this side, Su Deng will go as far as the mountains, and after that, whichever territory is being passed through, that county looks after security.”
All the counties agreed.
Su Mingluan said, “Adoptive Father, is there anything else you want us to do?”
She spoke to Su Mingluan directly and openly: “I plan to bring Little Sister to the capital. Do you have any objections?”
Su Mingluan hesitated slightly. “Seeing the world outside the mountains is not a bad thing,” said Zhù Ying. “Right now I am the one taking her — I can teach her things along the way. Later, if I am transferred to a different posting, I would not be comfortable having her go to the capital with someone else.”
Su Mingluan said decisively, “I will do as Adoptive Father says.”
As for Lang Rui, Zhù Ying was actually somewhat reluctant to bring him, as the child was still quite young and prone to illness. If he took sick along the way and something happened to someone else’s child, it would be impossible to explain.
She said to Lang Kunwu, “It is best that you father and son not both be away from Wuzhou at the same time. It would also be inappropriate for you to accompany him.”
Lang Kunwu quickly understood the implication and was quite moved. “Adoptive Father thinks of everything. Take the boy along for this trip — even if he is still small and won’t remember it all, having experienced it is better than never having known. I would not feel at ease having him go to the capital with anyone else.”
Mountain Sparrow’s grandfather-in-law let out a wide grin. “Let his maternal uncle go along with him.” Lang Rui’s maternal uncle was Mountain Sparrow’s own son; it happened that Lin Feng had been studying at the Foreign Studies Academy for half a year — his Mandarin was still coming along slowly, but he could understand a fair amount of everyday speech.
Xi Jin and Lu Guo both immediately wanted their own sons to go along as well, seeing clearly that going with the Prefect generally led to good things.
Thus the youngest in the group was Lang Rui; together with Zhù Lian and Xiang Yu, the others were all over ten years of age, and the three boys enrolled at the Foreign Studies Academy were a few years older still. This meant accommodations needed to be arranged in advance. Zhù Ying had already sent official communications to the capital, asking the Bureau of Foreign Affairs to prepare lodgings.
Finally, Zhù Ying also had to make arrangements at home. The men and women she had brought down from the mountains had adapted to life at the residence; Sister Hu was traveling with her, and she was also taking four female bodyguards along, leaving six behind at home. Of the ten male bodyguards, she was also taking four, with the remainder staying under Hou Wu’s management. Among the four male bodyguards, the one included was the earliest to have mastered the local mountain dialect.
Ding Gui and the other three she also brought along. Qi Tai, however, was staying in Wuzhou — he was the Tax Official.
Zhù Ying then summoned Xiang An, who had been so busy with the sugar mill of late that she had grown a little thinner, full of brisk energy. “You are very busy!” said Zhù Ying.
“Being busy is a good thing,” Xiang An laughed.
“Your three siblings are now spread across three different places,” said Zhù Ying. “That is somewhat unfeeling of me.”
“Having work to keep me occupied means I’m not lonely. It’s when there’s nothing meaningful to do that your mind wanders. I would rather be busy.”
Zhù Ying asked, “Would you like to take on different work?”
“Is there something else you want me to do?”
“Are you willing?”
Xiang An hesitated slightly, then asked, “Does the Prefect have other arrangements? If not, please let me continue overseeing the sugar mill — at least until the new mill is built and up and running before handing it over. Replacing the commander in the middle of a campaign is something to be avoided, whether on the battlefield or in any other enterprise…”
“All right — it is your call,” said Zhù Ying.
Xiang An was pleased. “Excellent!”
“I am taking A’Yu to meet his father and to see the capital at the same time,” said Zhù Ying. “How do you feel about that? Will you be overburdened without your little helper?”
“That monkey — with him gone, it’s actually a relief!” laughed Xiang An. “As it happens, I have two young apprentices in mind who show real promise — I was just thinking of training them properly. The literacy primers the Prefect provided are truly useful! I don’t even have to teach the arithmetic tables separately.”
The two talked for a while longer, and Zhù Ying told Xiang An to get Xiang Yu ready to set out on the same day. Xiang An, however, did not tell Zhù Ying that the two young apprentices she had her eye on were girls.
…—
Wuzhou was in the south, where crops ripened early; it was among the first batches to set out. This time the convoy was especially large — pulling a long train of grain carts, the cart drivers and laborers alone were a considerable number.
The grain and supplies being transported were immense: first, a long series of large carts stretching for li, then reaching the dock to be loaded onto boats — another string of grain transport ships. Zhù Ying and her party stayed on a single tower ship, each assigned their own cabin. Zhù Ying occupied the highest deck; the sailors and crew all lived in the lower hold cabins.
Su Zhe lodged close to Zhù Ying, and the moment she woke, she was at her side. “They have all gone up to the deck to see the scenery,” Zhù Ying smiled. “Are you not going?”
“Ama said watching Grand-Uncle conduct affairs teaches you more than anyone can put into words — you just have to see it for yourself. I am staying close to Grand-Uncle.”
Zhù Ying was amused and at a loss. “Very well, then — I’ll take you to see the scenery.”
Su Zhe was tremendously excited. “I’ve never been on a big boat before! I’ve only been on a little boat on small rivers!”
Up on the deck, Lang Rui was with his maternal uncle Lin Feng. Lin Feng hoisted him up onto his shoulders; Lang Rui clapped his hands. “Higher! Higher!” Lin Feng lifted him straight up over his head!
Each of them had their own servants; Xiang Yu had a young attendant with him. Zhù Lian had no servants under his own name, so Zhù Ying had Ding Gui look after him.
They made good time — the grain had ripened early, the boats moved quickly, and the sailors, working under Zhù Ying’s direction, were more efficient than they had ever been. Su Zhe watched and learned throughout, close at Zhù Ying’s side. Zhù Ying was not constantly occupied and took her up to the deck for fresh air when there was a moment.
Lin Feng was seasick. He was no longer in any state to toss his nephew about, and had dragged a reclining chair out onto the deck; beside him, Jin Yu was mocking him. “Go on then — keep jumping around, keep jumping…”
Lang Rui ran back and forth across the deck, with Zhù Lian and Xiang Yu doing their best to block him.
General merriment all around.
Thirty days later, the boats docked. The cargo was transferred to carts to be moved into the granaries. Zhù Ying personally oversaw the handover; this was one of the court’s southern grain depots. By seniority of rank, Zhù Ying was slightly below some of the other prefects, but the depot superintendent, seeing her age and bearing, surmised she must have either powerful backers or exceptional ability and therefore did not dare treat her carelessly.
During the handover, the depot superintendent observed coolly from the side: Wuzhou’s handover went more smoothly than any of the other prefectures’. Each prefecture came only once a year, rotating between the principal and deputy officials, so they had limited experience. The depot superintendent received dozens of prefectures’ grain in the course of a year — the difference in quality was instantly apparent.
Some prefectures’ own grain carts would even collide with each other; they couldn’t even count their own numbers straight, and the depot had to step in to maintain order.
Wuzhou’s grain carts had been counted in advance — in groups of five or ten, lined up in neat, orderly queues. Zhù Ying had even given them numbered tokens; they reported their counts by token, and when finished, cleared well out of the way so as not to block the road.
The depot superintendent was especially courteous toward her. “Prefect, yours is a face I have not seen before, but looking at you, I believe you are destined for great fortune.”
“I’ll take your kind words as a blessing,” said Zhù Ying. She also asked his name and home region, and did not look down on him for his lower rank.
The superintendent’s rank was already fairly substantial, though not comparable to a prefect’s. “You are too kind,” he said, and told her his surname was Sun, that he was from the north, and that it had been a long time since he had been able to go home to see things.
“The longing for home is secondary — it is the longing for family that is genuine,” said Zhù Ying. “If you could bring those closest to you here to be near you, your mind would be much easier.”
“But one worries the elders would not settle in well, and that the children’s schooling would be interrupted.”
Zhù Ying chatted with him at length, and by the end even knew that he kept two dogs at home, one of which was a greyhound. The handover completed, she received the depot superintendent’s receipt — and that errand was done. On her way out, Zhù Ying presented him with a box half a chi in length; the superintendent moved to decline, and Zhù Ying said, “Local produce — in my hands it amounts to nothing.” She waved her hand and rode off.
The superintendent went home and opened the box — inside were a pair of sugar tower cakes, from Wuzhou. Well, of course — how had he forgotten about that? They truly were nothing remarkable there. But this Prefect was genuinely thoughtful.
…
The handover complete, Zhù Ying did not take the overland route but returned to the canal waterway heading north. When they had been traveling upstream on their northward journey, they had been among the first, and the canal had not been too crowded. Now that the handover was finished, several days had passed and the waterway had grown considerably busier. There were not only others heading north, but also ships going south — with the granaries as the midpoint, grain from all the surrounding areas within a certain radius was being brought in. With northbound travelers came southbound ones.
As Zhù Ying and her party continued north, the convoy had shrunk considerably, down to only a small fraction of its former size. The convoy still included the tower ship and accompanying vessels, plus three cargo ships. The grain and cloth from the five counties all needed to be brought to the capital, along with everyone’s luggage and other items.
During the voyage, all aboard were confined to their individual ships, and the people on the same vessel became quite well acquainted.
Su Zhe followed Zhù Ying everywhere and earned a measure of genuine approval. The eight bodyguards who had come down from the mountain estate were now willing to talk with her — before this, they had kept respectful distance even from the “chieftain’s family.” When they gathered together to tell stories, some told tales of ghostly retribution, some told clever tales and riddles.
One female bodyguard of eighteen or nineteen, named Zhù Yin, said, “Don’t believe any of that — fortune-telling, drawing lots for divination — it’s all fake.”
Su Zhe said, “Oh? And how do you know?”
Zhù Yin looked surprised. “You’re from a chieftain’s family — don’t you know about ghost lots?”
Su Zhe had no liking for talk of fate, ghosts, taboos, or the like and said with some displeasure, “What are those?”
“So your family doesn’t have them — that’s very good,” said Zhù Yin. “Our chieftain — he had it coming to him. He had a set of lots, with two sticks inside, one red, one black. If someone owed him a debt, he made them draw a lot. Draw the red one and he would agree to let the person pay back next year. Draw the black one and you had to pay on the spot. If you couldn’t pay, everything you had went to him — your house, your fields, your cattle and sheep. And if you had nothing left, you became his slave. No one ever drew the red lot — it was always the black. Everyone called them the ghost lots. Later, the Prefect broke open the lot-tube and showed us — inside, both sticks were black.”
“Did you actually believe it?” Su Zhe asked.
Zhù Yin said sadly, “We didn’t know then that people could be so wicked.”
Su Zhe was silent for a moment, then said brightly, “Now you know.”
As if sensing the topic was growing uncomfortable, someone changed the subject, and they began counting the days, calculating how much longer it would be. “Grand-Uncle says in three more days we will be off the boats!” said Su Zhe.
After disembarking there would be a transfer to carts, and in a few more days they would reach the capital. Outside the capital, confronted with its great towering walls, Su Zhe and the others were struck once again with awe.
Jin Yu gaped wide-eyed. “So everything my brother said was true — these walls really are enormous…”
…—
At this time of year, prefects, deputy prefects, and administrators from across the realm were converging on the capital in a concentrated stream; the flow of arrivals was unceasing. They came not only themselves but with their retinues, and with the tribute scholars of their regions. The prefectures close to the capital supplied grain to the capital itself; the great granaries were located several tens of li outside the city. Cart drivers who had delivered grain sometimes also made their way into the capital for a look around.
The entire capital had grown livelier than ever.
In the midst of this splendid scene, it was not a competition to see who wore the most brilliant red official robes, or whose rank was slightly higher — it was a competition to see whose backing was more powerful, whose gifts were more lavish. A welcoming reception? Those who had family or friends in the capital could count on someone coming to meet them; all the others were not guaranteed any such thing.
In this sea of people, the Bureau of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance both dispatched personnel to receive Zhù Ying. Zhù Ying was also pulling a long train of carts — loaded with products from the tributary counties, their origins distinctive enough to demonstrate the realm drawing all things to itself — so they had to be transported to the capital, for the Emperor to decide how to make special arrangements for them.
The Ministry of Finance official, seeing Zhù Ying, smiled at once. “Prefect Zhù.”
Zhù Ying looked at this Ministry Director without any particular warmth. “Truly you people cannot wait one moment — here, take it!”
“We wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare — please!”
Each prefecture came to the capital at this time of year to submit to an assessment; the single most important item in this assessment was revenues and grain. Some regions physically conveyed their grain to the capital — and this was precisely what was being tallied up. Zhù Ying, however, was presenting the signed receipt from the depot superintendent, coming to the Ministry to settle that account. At the same time, she also brought the tribute goods from the tributary counties to deliver directly.
With the tributary county goods in hand, Zhù Ying did not have to queue with everyone else; the Ministry of Finance cleared her grain and revenue accounts first. As for the coming year’s grain and other matters, she would queue like everyone else and “have a good talk” with Dou Shangshu. She then stepped forward in the Imperial City to register her name, waiting in queue for the Emperor’s summons. Whether or not the Emperor would actually see her was up to him — but she needed to make the gesture.
Once the Ministry of Finance handover was complete, the Bureau of Foreign Affairs took her party away.
The Bureau had become very practiced at this business. The young ones were lodged in the same place as last time; Zhù Ying saw them all settled in and only then returned to her own home. Since Zhao Su had left, Eldest Son Xiang had sent guild hall staff to look after the place; the moment Zhù Ying arrived, everything was already in order — the guild hall had sent two cooks as well.
Zhù Ying had brought a great many people this time, filling both the side courtyards. Zhao Zhen and the other three moved into the rooms where Gu Tong and Zhao Su had previously stayed; Zhù Lian took the room where Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Da had stayed before. He had lodged here the last time he came to the capital, and that time had been lively and full of people — this time, he was alone. Xiao Wu was heading home; Ding Gui and the others had to deliver Zhù Ying’s calling cards to various residences before they could return home. They also did not dare linger long at home; agreeing among themselves, they planned to return to the Zhù household within a couple of days to resume their duties.
Eldest Son Xiang, receiving the news, dropped everything in his hands and came running over to see Zhù Ying. He had barely reached the gate when a voice called out: “Baba!”
Xiang Yu was here too!
Eldest Son Xiang looked at his son, and a smile spread across his face before he could stop it. He cleared his throat. “Hmm. You weren’t up to mischief on the road, I hope?”
“I would never! The Prefect even taught me to read!”
Eldest Son Xiang’s smile broadened still further. “Come on, let’s go see the Prefect.”
He came before Zhù Ying and first prostrated himself; Zhù Ying helped him up. “Come — sit and tell me everything.”
Eldest Son Xiang reported on all matters in the capital one by one, including: “Magistrate Shang’s wife has often called us over to speak with her; all gifts received have been recorded in the accounts.”
Zhù Ying nodded. “Very good.”
Eldest Son Xiang then spoke of the Zheng Marquis’s residence and other places, and finally said, “The capital has been full of talk about things like establishing an heir apparent, and people are also saying that now that the prefects have come to the capital, there might be deliberations on the matter.”
Zhù Ying gave another nod but offered no comment. She had someone bring out the items the Xiang family had sent for Eldest Son Xiang, and told him he could take Xiang Yu with him to the guild hall for a father-and-son reunion. Eldest Son Xiang delightedly took Xiang Yu away.
With everything settled, Zhù Ying was finally able to return to her room to change clothes and prepare for the days ahead. The first item — requesting an audience with the Emperor — had already been registered earlier in the day; then there were matters to settle with the various ministries, and since there were too many people, one had to queue. While waiting in that queue, she would call at the Zheng Marquis’s residence, the Wang residence, and other such places.
But that evening, someone came to her home. Zheng Chuan arrived in person at the Zhù house and opened with: “Third Brother — Father sent me to see you and tell you to be careful. The capital is full of turbulent undercurrents right now.”