Zhù Ying did not immediately step forward to speak. First, the Emperor had not asked her. Second, her arrangements were not yet complete.

There was yet another unresolved argument and no outcome; the officials who actually had work to do still had real business to attend to. The Ministry of Personnel, for instance, had to prepare for the annual evaluation of officials; the Ministry of Finance, meanwhile, still had the budget to work on — figures needed to be ready before the regional officials arrived in the capital, to be laid before the Hall of Governance and the Emperor for review.

Before long, court was dismissed again.

Zhù Ying kept her composure and returned to the Ministry of Finance first. Ye Deng and Li Yuan walked with her toward the Ministry, muttering as they went.

Ye Deng said, “Minister Wang really has — originally a ‘Wen Zheng’ was straightforward and natural. Now that this memorial has been submitted, some people are liable to go mad.”

Li Yuan said, “That memorial is quite ferocious.”

Zhù Ying said, “Even without submitting it, no one has seen things go smoothly. Same as before — first get our own affairs in hand properly, and don’t give anyone grounds to make trouble or use us as their excuse. When the immortals brawl, the fish in the pond shouldn’t suffer.”

Ye Deng spread his hands: “What can be done? It’s all laid out in front of us now…”

Zhù Ying said, “We make sure our own homework is thorough, and then when we come back we can negotiate properly with these ‘regional lords’!”

The three exchanged a wordless look, returned to the Ministry, and as was the practice, Zhù Ying opened with a brief morning meeting to assign tasks, after which everyone buried their heads in work.

The Minister and the two Vice Ministers needed to be in one place together — they had to present a united front before they could deal with the outside. The main reason was still that Zhù Ying had just arrived and still needed these helpers; she could not yet bear the full weight alone.

Li Yuan was calculating away when he grew irritated, threw down his brush, and said, “Infuriating. In the past, even when arguing with the local offices, at least there was back-and-forth. Now they’ve set their minds on stalling us entirely.”

Zhù Ying put down her brush and sighed: “Truly, I don’t know what fortune sent me here. When I was at the local level dealing with the Ministry of Finance, I was the one being squeezed to pay more taxes and grain. Now I’ve come to the Ministry myself, and the situation has turned completely around — the Ministry can no longer manage the people below.”

Ye Deng said, “Times have changed. When you were at the local level, in the Hall of Governance there was still…”

He stopped himself. All three of them sighed together.

The push and pull between the central government and the regional offices had always existed, but the relative strength varied across different periods. When the late Emperor was alive, the Emperor held proper authority and was reasonably capable, and the Hall of Governance was filled with the outstanding talents of the age — figures who, once produced, could command the field. Men like Chen Luan, Shi Kun, Wang Yunhe — all of them standards that ordinary officials could not challenge, figures of towering stature that could not be reached by jumping. With such weight at the top, the people below could not stir up trouble, and things were easier to manage.

Now, the Emperor had no remarkable qualities; the Hall of Governance — it couldn’t be said that Dou Peng was bad, but he couldn’t hold the field. He stood higher than these men, but without that overwhelming, crushing advantage. The Hall of Governance now had only him, one man — too many affairs and too little capacity. Once that hold was gone, the people below naturally preferred their own comfort. One person imitating another, and before long none of them were easy to manage.

Zhù Ying said, “Let us hope things do not continue to deteriorate.”

Ye Deng and Li Yuan both glanced at Zhù Ying. This one had something of the shadow of Chen and Wang about her, but was too young — she had done enough work, and what she still lacked was “cultivating reputation,” or rather, she simply needed time for her influence to grow.

Without the Hall of Governance holding things down, the Ministry of Finance naturally had to exert itself in pulling and tugging against the regional lords.

Li Yuan thought: whether or not you can establish yourself depends on whether you can, in your tenure at the Ministry, subdue these lords on your own merit. If you do, in a few years your entry into the Hall of Governance will follow naturally. If you cannot hold them in check, then even as Chief Minister one day, headaches will still follow you.

The three of them finished commiserating and had to go on burying their heads in work.

The Ministry of Finance had been very busy lately, and those who knew better generally didn’t come by during working hours to chat. That one white day was relatively quiet. When offices closed, Ye Deng said, “I fear this evening the capital will be lively again!”

Zhù Ying said, “This is the capital — when is it ever not lively? One gets used to it. Tonight, don’t drink too much — tomorrow we’ve still got accounts to calculate!”

Ye Deng and Li Yuan answered in a fairly easy-going tone: “Yes~”

There was one benefit to having this kind of superior: under Zhù Ying, the work was a bit harder, but one didn’t need to worry too much. She could hold things together, and the territory had less scheming and backstabbing. Both men had plans for the evening — whether to rest, or gather with friends and family and talk over Wang Yunhe’s passing and what lay ahead.

——

Zhù Ying had something entirely different in mind. She did not discuss things with others.

Zhù Ying did not take long going from the Imperial City to her new residence. When she arrived home, Zhù Qingjun and the others were all waiting in the household. Seeing Zhù Qingjun, Zhù Ying felt another pang of unhappiness. They’d been back from the north for a while now, but the final reward and recognition for Zhù Qingjun’s contributions still hadn’t come down.

The others were all fine — it was that Zhù Qingjun was a young woman. Giving her a formal military post would challenge established custom. Zhù Ying, as Garrison Commander, had opened her own military headquarters and been able to grant her a position “as an exception.” But now that she had resigned that post and returned — it had to be negotiated.

To give Zhù Qingjun a position, one had to think about what that meant: let her command troops? Unheard of.

Then came the matter of Prince Qi’s potential journey, and then Wang Yunhe’s death, and the court was in a turmoil. Zheng Xi was also in mourning, and a single Dou Peng truly had no energy to trouble himself with what seemed a very minor matter. Zhù Ying’s requests for recognition for the others had been going through one by one, but Zhù Qingjun’s case kept being shelved again and again.

Zhù Ying showed nothing on her face: “Let’s eat first.”

In her own home she didn’t need to pretend — it had been several days since she had shown a cheerful expression, and even the mischievous Lin Feng and the close-knit Su Zhe didn’t dare joke around anymore.

After dinner, Lin Feng asked carefully: “Adoptive Father, what is going to happen with Minister Wang’s matter? I didn’t dare look at Minister Liu’s face.”

“You went to the Liu residence again?”

“Mm,” Lin Feng nodded, looking aggrieved. “At a time like this, I thought I really should go and pay my respects. But I hadn’t expected his face to look so frightening!”

Zhù Ying finally managed a small smile: “He was quite famous as a handsome man in his youth, and hasn’t looked bad in old age either. How did he frighten you?”

Lin Feng said mournfully: “It really is a fine-looking face, and wouldn’t frighten you. But it scared me!”

Zhù Ying said, “Never mind — he won’t take it out on you. Pass my words along to everyone: these days, don’t go wandering about carelessly. Watch your words and conduct yourselves prudently.”

“Yes.”

Su Zhe hesitated and asked, “Grandfather, did Minister Wang offend His Majesty in some way? It doesn’t seem right. Such flawless conduct in his duties and in his person — who wouldn’t want such an able helper?”

Zhù Ying said, “Those are His Majesty’s thoughts — don’t speculate carelessly, and whatever speculation you do is to stay in your head, not to go out of your mouth.”

“Oh.”

Zhù Ying said, “You haven’t been to the Guest House for Foreign Envoys?”

Su Zhe wrinkled her nose: “Uncle is there now, and I’m not from the Court of State Ceremonial.”

True — not only Zhù Qingjun, but even Su Zhe and Xiang An had no suitable position upon returning, no proper official duties. Su Zhe was still all right — she was the heir of the A’Su clan. Xiang An was also, for now, “without a posting.”

Zhù Ying said, “I understand. Your matters, I’ll see to. Qingjun, Sanniang, come here a moment.”

Zhù Qingjun and Xiang An were summoned to the study. Xiang An spoke first: “My Lord, a female body holding an official post is already ten thousand times difficult. And with so many matters pressing on you now — please attend to yourself first. Only when you are secure can everyone else be well.”

Zhù Qingjun nodded and agreed.

Zhù Ying said, “What are you saying? There is a task for you.”

Xiang An hurriedly said, “Please give your instructions, my Lord.”

Zhù Ying asked, “You’ve been away from the capital for two years — do you still know the roads? Do you still know the people?”

Xiang An said with a smile, “I’ve been back for a while now. How could I have let things go to waste?”

Zhù Qingjun said, “I’ve already made a round of the capital prefecture again. My Lord — is it someone you want found? Something done? Or information gathered?”

Zhù Ying said, “Do you still remember Prince Lu?”

“Yes!”

Zhù Ying smiled a little: “Do you know how many people were in Prince Lu’s household at the time, and what became of them all?”

Xiang An said, “That was a case you handled, my Lord. Prince Lu plotted treason, but in consideration of his being the blood of the late Emperor, his whole household was exiled rather than executed… However, there is a rumor in the jianghu that on the road to exile they were quietly put to death by an envoy dispatched by His Majesty.”

Zhù Ying gave a single nod: “Good — knowing that is enough. Spread the subsequent details of what happened at the time. Then quietly pass a piece of news through the capital — that at the time, one person survived.”

Though neither Xiang An nor Zhù Qingjun knew why this was to be done, neither hesitated: “Yes!”

Zhù Qingjun asked, “Shall I say only that someone survived? What kind of person survived, and what are their intentions? Please give us some direction, my Lord.”

“What would an aggrieved, unreconciled ghost say?” Zhù Ying said. “What of a man who was pardoned by open imperial decree for a capital offense, only to have his brothers secretly killed? What kind of creature does that make someone?”

Xiang An and Zhù Qingjun said: “Yes.”

“The spreading must leave no trace.”

“Yes.”

——

This was probably the most useful Prince Lu had ever been in his life.

In just one day, certain rumors began to circulate through the capital.

The story went that the Emperor was petty and heartless, that he had slaughtered his own kin and abused his nephews, dispatching men to murder the already-tried-and-exiled Prince Lu’s entire household. Not even the children and women had been spared, each dying in an appalling fashion.

The accounts were extremely vivid — someone lying in stomach agony for three full days, moaning until death. A small child crawling along the ground with a severed arm and mangled legs, and the like.

Prince Lu’s reputation in the capital had been thoroughly ruined; almost no one in his entire family had been good people, and many of his servants had been bad sorts too. But — a child from Prince Lu’s household, an infant barely a year old, being subjected to such treatment — that was something no decent person could stomach hearing. It was simply too much! Wasn’t the Emperor supposed to be the moral exemplar for all under heaven? Outwardly benevolent, inwardly suspicious; vicious at heart; without a trace of fraternal feeling — no wonder the late Emperor had hesitated so long and been reluctant to name him Crown Prince. Look at this — the throne barely his and already he treats his own younger brother this way.

The story went that even Heaven could not look on any longer and had spared one of Prince Lu’s sons, who had been rescued by someone, recovered from his injuries, and had recently returned to weep at the late Emperor’s tomb, wanting to make his appeal to his ancestors and drag the Emperor down to answer for his crimes!

The rumors spread at an impossible speed with no traceable source. They moved too fast. Many people professed with their mouths that “Prince Lu was sorely wronged,” while in their hearts they thought: “the Emperor has no shred of human decency.” And then they added their own embellishments — “no wonder there were good harvests in years past, and these past few years nothing but natural calamity and disaster” and “no wonder His Majesty fell ill recently.”

The tongues outside the palace were busy; the tongues inside the court were busy too. It was yet another day of quarreling. The Emperor wanted to force a decision on Wang Yunhe’s posthumous title, and Xian Jing and his group absolutely would not yield, arguing with chapter and verse until they drove the Emperor away in fury.

A day later, eunuchs who maintained residences outside the palace heard the news that “a survivor of Prince Lu’s household had witnessed the deaths of all his relatives and was wailing his way back to the capital to make his accusation before the late Emperor’s shrine that the Emperor had lost all virtue” — and came rushing back inside the palace in a panic to report it to the Emperor.

The Emperor sat bolt upright as if someone had cracked a whip across his back, feeling as though the chair beneath him had grown legs ready to kick him off!

The Emperor stared hard at Du Shien: “Is the information reliable?”

Du Shien said, “Perhaps it is only marketplace rumor.”

“Rumor?!” The Emperor raised his voice. “Would a rumor be this vicious?! Where is the Prefect of the Capital?! Seize — investigate —”

Before he could finish, the Crown Prince requested an audience.

The Emperor said impatiently, “What does he want?”

The small eunuch said, “The Crown Prince says there is urgent business — he has heard something.”

“Summon him!”

The Crown Prince came hurrying in, took one look at the Emperor’s expression, and the Emperor said, “Say what you have to say.”

The Crown Prince had no choice but to stammer out: “Father — I have just heard that outside the palace there are certain rumors circulating. Regarding the Prince Lu matter.”

The Emperor said, “You’ve heard too?! Investigate! This must be investigated — find out who is behind this!”

The Crown Prince quickly stopped him: “Father! The most urgent thing right now is to quell the rumors. Any investigation must be conducted quietly — common people and ignorant masses most love strange tales. The more of a fuss made, the more curious they become.”

“Then how does one quell them?”

The Crown Prince said, “This… perhaps summon ministers to ask their counsel?”

The palace gates had already been locked for the night, but the Emperor paid no mind and summoned Liu Songnian, Zheng Xi, Zhù Ying, and Li the Attendant Gentleman into the palace.

Zhù Ying had been at home talking with Chen Meng. Chen Meng’s mourning period was nearly concluded, and the visit today was about Chen Fang’s marriage.

Wang Yunhe’s death had reminded him — Shi Kun was not young either, and while Shi Kun was still with them, it was best to get Chen Fang married first. Once Chen Meng’s mourning period ended, the family could begin organizing the happy occasion.

“The boy is not young anymore! I’m thinking — not to trouble you twice for nothing — would you go to the Shi family and put in a word for me?”

Zhù Ying said, “I’m already the matchmaker — this is my duty.”

With the main business settled, Chen Meng began to sigh: “Minister Wang didn’t have to end like this! That final memorial — why didn’t he bring it out sooner? If he’d brought it out sooner and governed by it, things wouldn’t have been so haphazard — one hammer blow here, one stick there.”

Zhù Ying said, “No matter how fine the plan, there must be someone to carry it out. Even the best sutras can be ruined by monks who don’t recite them sincerely. Rather than handing the entire sutra over to them to make a mess of, it’s better to teach them to follow along, word by word.”

“True enough.”

The two of them were still talking about Wang Yunhe when the palace envoy arrived, summoning Zhù Ying to the palace. The two exchanged a look. Chen Meng said, “What is it this time? Can it be about Prince Qi’s planned journey?”

Zhù Ying said, “Hard to say. I’ll be back shortly. Make yourself at home.”

“Fine — it’s not like I have anything else to do. I’ll just make myself at home here.”

“All right.” Zhù Ying said.

She changed clothes and rode hard to the palace. One of the eunuchs pocketed a red envelope and, when asked, said straightaway: “Has my Lord not heard about the rumors circulating these past days in the capital?”

Zhù Ying asked in surprise, “These past days? In the capital? Rumors?”

“The matter of the Prince Lu traitor…”

“What? Hasn’t that case been fully settled?”

The eunuch said, “In any case, please be careful, my Lord.”

Zhù Ying gave him another red envelope and said, “Tell me in detail.”

Since one could not ride within the palace, the two made use of the walk, and the eunuch explained the whole thing. Zhù Ying sighed: “Understood. Thank you.”

Before the Emperor, aside from Li the Attendant Gentleman, the other three glanced at one another and understood the situation. Li the Attendant Gentleman, looking at the assembled group that included himself, had no idea why any of them were gathered here.

Liu Songnian — and he was standing before the Emperor — restrained himself and didn’t curse the man. Hilarious, truly: a pillar of the country had collapsed, and the Emperor had been slowly and leisurely drawing things out, only interested in establishing his own authority — and now that a rumor had come out saying his “virtue is not equal to his position,” only then did “urgent” come to mind?

Zheng Xi, by contrast, wore an expression of perfect composure, while inwardly puzzled: when you had Prince Lu killed, it came as no surprise. But at the time, I didn’t think you were quite this lacking in moral scruples!

Zhù Ying — the rumor was her doing. She hadn’t committed anything directly illegal in a long time; today she felt her old skills were still sharp. Watching the Emperor in a furious frenzy, like a homeless, panicked dog — it was rather satisfying.

Only Li the Attendant Gentleman anxiously asked the Emperor what had happened.

The Emperor truly had no wish to retell it all himself, and gestured toward Du Shien. Du Shien conveyed the situation and asked: “Have none of you gentlemen heard the rumors circulating in the capital?”

Liu Songnian said he was retired at home and had no dealings with worldly affairs; Zheng Xi said he was in mourning and had no dealings with worldly affairs; Zhù Ying said she had been calculating accounts — otherwise, next year the court wouldn’t have money — and had had no time to mind rumors.

Only Li the Attendant Gentleman had caught a hint: “There seems to have been just a whisper of something?”

The Emperor said furiously, “In recent days the capital has been awash in rumors, and not one of you knew?!”

Zhù Ying thought: what nonsense — wasn’t it you who had Prince Lu’s entire household killed? How does that become “rumors”? I only had Qingjun spread word for one day! What do you mean “in recent days”?!

The rumor spread fast because you deserved it — you’ve been this petty and heartless, and the common people already see you as a bad person in their hearts. They love spreading the ugly truth about you. Because you treated Wang Yunhe so shabbily, of course they’re perfectly willing to believe you were vicious to your own brothers.

You won’t hear the people’s weeping, so listen to their curses instead!

Zheng Xi said, “The most urgent thing is to quell these rumors.”

“How do we quell them?” the Emperor asked. “Liu Zongnian — how do we write an edict to make clear the facts of this matter?”

The Crown Prince was alarmed: “We cannot! That would only be making things worse!”

Liu Songnian said, “The Crown Prince is right.”

The Emperor asked, “Then you say — how should it be done?! Zheng Xi.”

Zheng Xi said, “Why not use another matter to cover this one over? Once there is new news, they’ll stop paying attention to the old.”

Liu Songnian said, “That is only treating the symptoms.”

Li the Attendant Gentleman said, “True — and it would be hard to find something more attention-grabbing anyway.”

The Emperor humbly consulted Liu Songnian: “Then how does one strike at the root of things?”

Liu Songnian pursed his lips: “If the rumors malign His Majesty’s virtue, then address that directly. Prince Lu was a bad man, and the Emperor is a good one.”

“Correct!” The Emperor slapped the table in agreement. “Official Zhù — the case at the time…”

Liu Songnian restrained himself and didn’t hit him. Zhù Ying, however, felt like hitting him: “At the time, in order to stabilize the court situation as quickly as possible, it was Your Majesty who issued an edict calling for the matter to end there. To reopen it now, one fears there will be more unfavorable talk about Your Majesty.”

The Emperor asked, “Then what do we do?”

Li the Attendant Gentleman said, “Two approaches: first, Prince Lu’s wrongdoing; second, the Emperor’s virtue and benevolence.”

To prove the Emperor’s righteousness, beyond the self-defeating approach of extravagant praise, corroboration was needed. Liu Songnian had long since retired, and Zheng Xi was in mourning and not at court — neither had any wish to be responsible for the Emperor. Li the Attendant Gentleman compiled the good deeds the court had done in recent years and attributed all credit to the Emperor, preparing to submit the memorial the next day.

Zhù Ying, meanwhile, said, “Your Majesty — the rumors have been able to spread so widely through the capital, which shows there is a gap that has been exploited. Since Minister Zheng entered the Hall of Governance, there has been no Prefect of the Capital Prefecture. One is needed, to keep proper order.”

“Correct!” The Emperor said through gritted teeth. “Ever since the Seventh of Zheng left the Capital Prefecture, things there have been very poor! Tell me — who would be suitable as Prefect of the Capital Prefecture?”

Zhù Ying said, “On this matter, should you not first ask the Chief Minister’s opinion?”

The Emperor’s brow creased, then he said, “Can Mu Chengzhou do it?”

Liu Songnian said, with utter bluntness: “What?”

Zheng Xi, with Liu Songnian right in front of him, also stayed quiet. Li the Attendant Gentleman looked at Liu Songnian’s face and likewise didn’t dare to speak. Liu Songnian was surely bottling up a full belly of fury over Wang Yunhe’s affairs — who would dare show any satisfaction in front of him?

The Emperor also felt a little embarrassed. The Crown Prince’s face flushed slightly — Mu Chengzhou, he too couldn’t quite stand the man.

Zhù Ying played dead.

The Emperor said, “Very well — I’ll think it over further. The two of you” — meaning Li and Zhù — “go write your memorials and submit them at morning court tomorrow.” He then spoke kindly to Liu and Zheng, hoping they would go back and “reassure” those around them not to listen to rumors.

Two approaches, open and covert — the Emperor believed he had arranged things rather well.

Zhù Ying also felt she had arranged things rather well.

To corroborate that the Emperor was a good person, those who had helped him to the throne also had to be good people, and those who had supported him during the palace coup also had to be good people. For instance — Wang Yunhe.

——

Early the next morning, Li the Attendant Gentleman came to court with eyes reddened from a sleepless night, and the Emperor watched him with hopeful eyes.

Li the Attendant Gentleman stepped out and submitted that the recent capital rumors were all groundless nonsense, and then proceeded to speak well of the Emperor. As he spoke, the Emperor’s face wore a smile — and then Li the Attendant Gentleman suddenly sensed something was off.

Am I not just inscribing “no silver here” over the very spot where the silver is buried?

The other ministers had all caught at least a hint of the rumors. Seeing Li the Attendant Gentleman like this, they all played along with knowing smiles and nods. With the Emperor in a sensitive state, he too sensed something was off, but couldn’t quite place what.

The entire court was dying of awkwardness. Who didn’t know what song you were all singing? Everyone was going along with the performance together.

The further Li the Attendant Gentleman read, the more he felt this business hadn’t been handled cleanly. The last two sections came out slower and more haltingly. He finally got through the last sentence, mopped his brow, and shuffled back into the ranks with his head down.

Zhù Ying sighed: Li the Attendant Gentleman’s face is still not thick enough!

She also stepped out from the ranks. The ministers kept exchanging glances; someone gave a quiet cough.

The Emperor’s smile had also grown a little stiff. His tone carried anticipation: “Official Zhù, submit your memorial.”

Zhù Ying said, “Your official requests that the posthumous title ‘Wen Zheng’ be conferred upon the late Chief Minister Wang Yunhe.”

This wasn’t what they’d agreed on! You’re not only not helping me — you’re arguing the opposite side? You’re talking about Wang Yunhe, not about me!

The Emperor was ready to give Zhù Ying a beating, but Zhù Ying had already stepped out.

Zhù Ying’s memorial had been written the same night she had dispatched Zhù Qingjun. She opened by establishing the framework: Wang Yunhe’s character was upright and virtuous, and he fully merited the two words “Wen Zheng.”

Then she listed Wang Yunhe’s deeds as proof.

The first: when Wang Yunhe served as Capital Prefect, he had never yielded to power and influence — whenever the powerful broke the law, he judged them according to law. Such as Prince Lu galloping his horse through the streets and injuring people, or permitting his servants to abduct women by force and seize farmland by force.

The second: during the late Emperor’s reign, when the Crown Prince died and Prince Lu — a man of great power, positioned to deceive the late Emperor — was there to be recommended as the new Crown Prince, Wang Yunhe and Shi Kun and the other officials of the court did not court the powerful, but rather followed propriety and recommended Prince Zhao — who is now the Emperor.

The third: when Prince Lu plotted his rebellion, Wang Yunhe stood firmly behind the Emperor, handled the situation according to proper procedure, was not intimidated by Prince Lu, and did not engage in opportunistic maneuvering.

Not a single word about suppressing land consolidation, not a word about laboring for the Emperor’s affairs, not a word about elevating worthy talent — none of that.

In closing: looking at everything he did, I feel a fine posthumous title would be appropriate!

Quite a few ministers could now see what Zhù Ying had done — her timing was exquisitely precise!

What she had put in this memorial, Xian Jing and the others had said too, but in the middle of the arguing it had all been dismissed. She had now laid out only those few points that were clearly advantageous to the Emperor, with not a word of personal praise for Wang Yunhe himself.

And yet it hit far more neatly than Li the Attendant Gentleman’s flattery.

Wang Yunhe — such a fine man — had supported the Emperor. Could one say the Emperor was not good?

There were also those who thought Zhù Ying had gone soft in the head — the Emperor clearly didn’t like Wang Yunhe, and here she was praising him lavishly. Wasn’t she forcing the Emperor’s hand? How could she come out of this looking well?

To everyone’s surprise, the Emperor’s expression shifted through several changes, and in the end he gave a nod: “Official Zhù speaks with reason. Minister Wang was a bulwark of the nation — he merits ‘Wen Zheng.'”

The quarreling finally came to an end.

Wang Shuliang had not absolutely needed to win his father a “Wen Zheng” title. But upon learning the final verdict, he was still moved with some feeling. Then the Emperor also issued funds from the inner treasury in gold and silk to assist with Wang Yunhe’s burial. Wang Shuliang’s heart was already undisturbed, like still water.

He submitted a memorial of gratitude. After his father was laid in the burial ground accompanying the late Emperor’s imperial mausoleum, he led his family, took with him a complete set of his father’s court garments, and set off on the road home to their native province.

Zhù Ying had gone to his home the day before to see him off. Wang Shuliang chose to leave on a day that was not a rest day, and Zhù Ying did not plan to ask for leave that day either. She estimated that Xian Jing and the others would ask for leave to see him off — and she had no wish to join Xian Jing for such an occasion.

The Wang family’s things were being packed up. Wang Shuliang said, “Things are in disarray here — please forgive the disorder.”

Zhù Ying said, “Those words are far too formal.”

She had also brought some provisions for the road.

Wang Shuliang said, “Truly there is no need for this — I’ll be staying at the relay stations all the way, and once home there is even less need. The family still has a few modest plots of land, and the old house has several rooms.”

Zhù Ying said, “It is a token of good faith.”

Wang Shuliang said, “You should not have submitted that memorial — what if it had angered His Majesty? That would not have been good. If my father were still alive, he would not have wished to see you gambling yourself on his behalf.”

Zhù Ying said, “That wasn’t my reason. I only feared that the Zhantian faction and the others would lose all reason in their arguments, and the escalation would get out of hand, ultimately dragging my elder colleague’s posthumous affairs into chaos. The more they argued, the more the Emperor would resent it, and that resentment would be laid at my elder colleague’s account. Better to bring it to a clean close.”

Wang Shuliang said, “I had been worried about this for a long time — thank goodness it is settled. I only hope they’ll stop using my father as their banner from now on. In any battle, seizing the enemy’s standard is the greatest merit — worth a marquisate, they say!”

The two looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

Wang Shuliang said, “Oh — this is something my father left for you.”

He produced a set of the Spring and Autumn Annals, and said with a slightly abashed expression, “I should really have given this to you sooner. But I thought, with the court arguing over my father’s posthumous title at the time, giving it to you then would have looked as though I was hurrying you to do something.

My father’s final memorial also should have been submitted sooner. But I was afraid of it stirring up controversy and disrupting my father’s funeral. As it turned out, without it, those who despised my father still despised him, and those who obstructed my father still obstructed him. Seeing them argue so fiercely, I simply submitted it in the end.

Man’s calculations are no match for Heaven’s. It seems I am not suited to these kinds of scheming affairs.”

Zhù Ying received the Spring and Autumn Annals and said quietly, “The Minister tells me to read the classics and histories.”

Wang Shuliang said, “He used to urge people in this way, but lately had been urging people to be decent human beings, and not to rely only on book-learning and talk.”

Zhù Ying put the book away carefully and said, “Tomorrow I won’t come to see you off.”

“Better not to come — seeing them there as well would be tiresome.”

——

The next day, Xian Jing and the others took leave to see Wang Shuliang off.

Zhù Ying went to the Hall of Governance and submitted another memorial: Chen Meng’s mourning period was almost concluded — shouldn’t preparations be made to give him an official post?

Dou Peng passed the memorial to the Emperor. The Emperor was deliberating over the position of Capital Prefect; seeing the words “Chen Meng, son of Chen Luan,” he was once again reminded of that fine Chief Minister who had known when to step aside at the right moment. Chen Luan had not been his Chief Minister, but whenever the Emperor felt that Wang Yunhe had held the position of Chief Minister for too long, it was always Chen Luan who came to mind.

Over time, seeing this name had come to feel simply pleasant.

Chen Meng — his lineage was solid, his experience was sufficient, his abilities were more than adequate, and he had no significant blemishes on his record. Most importantly, he was Chen Luan’s son, which made him as much as the head of the Chen faction — get hold of him, and one gains a whole force of support for one’s own use.

The Emperor gave a satisfied edict, appointing Chen Meng as Prefect of the Capital.