Zhao Su had grown somewhat thinner since leaving the previous year — his cheeks were slightly hollow, making his features appear more defined. A faint thread of silver had worked its way into his beard and hair, though his eyes were still bright. Altogether he looked more alert than before.

Hearing Zhù Ying mention the examination, the anxiety that had been weighing on Zhao Su for this entire journey settled somewhat. This trip north to the capital — his greatest concern all along had been the matter of selecting talent for Wuzhou. The civil examination carried enormous consequences; the people selected through it would gradually come to hold real power, and it would have been a genuine regret if he had missed his chance to have a hand in it. Fortunately, he had made it back in time.

Zhao Su smiled and said, “Speaking of the examination — the Secretariat was quite interested in the ‘call for talent’ proclamation you issued in Wuzhou. A fair number of people made inquiries.”

Zhù Ying said, “What did they ask?”

Zhao Su said, “Nothing beyond the usual — the basis for the candidate selection, that sort of thing. I said I did not know, as the order had been given before I set out.”

Zhù Ying smiled.

Zhao Su took the opportunity to ask, “Elder, how do you plan to select candidates?”

Zhù Ying said, “Naturally we select those who can be put to use. Wuzhou right now cannot compare to the court — though learning and culture are necessary, we must be selective about our priorities. Ah, when it truly comes down to it — what matters most becomes very clear indeed. Did this trip north open your eyes all the way to the bottom of things?”

Zhao Su said, “I would not dare claim that — I cannot say I saw it all the way through. But I did see signs of decay and decline. I can only be grateful I was wise enough to follow you south when I did. If I were still an official at court now, wanting to accomplish something meaningful and unwilling to watch the situation rot away — I would have been tormented to death!”

“Oh?”

Zhao Su said, “The realm today resembles a man in his declining years. Not yet dead — yet not quite in full command of his faculties. The family fortune he accumulated in his prime lies tucked beneath the sleeping mat, and his various children and grandchildren have been quietly pilfering it, day by day. You might say he does not know — and yet he seems to, and still says his children and grandchildren are living well enough. You might say he knows — and yet he seems to have no guard up whatsoever. The gold and jewels are still stored beneath the mat; even when the locks are pried open, he does not bother to replace them. It really is…”

Zhù Ying said, “This emperor is very much his own sort of miser.”

“A pity for the grain and taxes we sent him,” Zhao Su said. “And he still wants to know Wuzhou’s output and population. I told him everything: tributary lands, the various tribes have no writing system of their own — no written records, no census registers to consult. There is nothing to report. What little there is came about through your efforts at cultural persuasion.”

Zhù Ying gave a nod. “Telling them would not help them administer relief anyway. Better for everyone if we each keep to our own corner. And the others in the capital — are they well?”

Zhao Su went on to describe his meeting with Gu Tong. The two were not far apart in age, had once studied at the same county school, and were both prosperous sons of Fulu County — they were somewhat acquainted. These days, however, Zhao Su had grown rather dismissive of Gu Tong. He shook his head and said, “Your old associates are mostly well. The southern scholars, however, are not faring so well. These people — they are muddled and indecisive, incapable of making a clean break. I ask that you keep your compassion for Wuzhou.”

“How do you mean?”

“They cannot bring themselves to relinquish the status and power the court provides, yet they also do not want to lose your protection and guidance,” Zhao Su said bluntly. “I am afraid that is simply too greedy. I ask you most earnestly — reserve your deep consideration for Wuzhou alone. These people are already officials and scholars. Their interests are not necessarily aligned with Wuzhou’s. Unless the court falls into genuine crisis, or they see an opportunity to make a calculated bet for personal gain, they will never give you their full loyalty — at best, they will use you.”

Zhù Ying gave a nod. Zhao Su, unable to read her expression, grew more direct: “If I were in their position, I would either come seek you out — with the ambition of ousting you and taking over. Or I would deploy my silver tongue to persuade you to submit to the court, using you as my entry token to wealth and power. Your situation right now will only grow more dangerous over time. Before, the court paid Wuzhou no mind — but your brilliance cannot be concealed, and it is only a matter of time before the court fixes its gaze on you. Those scheming against you in the shadows are likely quite numerous already…”

Zhao Su spoke at length — his observations of the court, his assessments of Wuzhou, ranging from Zheng Xi and Chen Meng, to Yao Chenying and Wang Shuliang, to Wen Yue and Jin Biao and others. He talked until the attendants came in to light the candles. He then took up his tea and drank. Once the servants who had brought the candles had gone, he asked Zhù Ying again: “Elder, this examination — how will it be conducted? What topics will be set? If it is still the old matter of separating the civilized from the barbarians, it would be better not to hold it at all. Testing practical matters is more important right now. What we lack are people who can get real things done. In the future, when we need officials with broader administrative ability, these candidates will have been tested through experience — their character and capability will be clear. Appointing them to proper positions at that point would seem more fitting.”

Zhù Ying said, “That will not do.”

“Elder?”

Zhù Ying said, “The classical systems and established codes still need to be examined.”

Zhao Su asked, “For what reason?”

Zhù Ying said, “They will serve to screen out those whose minds have been warped into square pegs by too much reading. People like that — no matter how otherwise capable — we simply cannot use.”

Zhao Su breathed a quiet sigh of relief. What had worried him came down to two things: first, that outsiders would come wielding ritual propriety and Confucian orthodoxy to look down on them from above; second, that he had been away, and the new talent might already have been selected and placed, meaning he would have to go through a whole process of adjustment once again upon his return.

Now both concerns had been answered to his satisfaction. Zhao Su presented Chen Meng’s letter to Zhù Ying and took his leave to go see his wife and children. Once he was home, he did not rest for more than a day or two before reporting back to the Prefect’s Office, where he took over the bulk of the routine administrative affairs and went to confer with Zhù Ying on the examination questions.

Zhù Ying had prepared several categories of questions: the adjudication of legal cases, questions on ritual protocol and classical regulations, and the largest portion consisting of practical administrative problems — such as: a given locale has such-and-such number of households and such-and-such amount of farmland — how should the spring planting and autumn harvest be organized, how should taxes and labor service be arranged, and how should preparations for famine be made — and so on.

Zhao Su looked over the questions and found nothing to fault. He set them back on the table as they had been and asked, “I wonder what the candidates are like. That Tao Weiran from before was genuinely aggravating. Shall we go and have a look?”

Zhù Ying agreed with good humor.

By this point, it was already the second month; those who had received word in time and managed to make the journey had been arriving one after another. Among them were men and women alike, some from Fulu County, some from Jiyuan Prefecture, and some from even farther away. Some were staying at the guesthouse, others at inns, all of them tense with anticipation for the examination.

Zhù Ying and Zhao Su arrived at the gate of the guesthouse and encountered Zhou Wei walking out from inside. When she saw Zhù Ying, a smile crossed her face without her realizing it. Zhù Ying asked, “Why are you here?”

Zhou Wei said, “Was it not you who sent me down the mountain to receive people?”

Zhao Su also asked a question: “These people — what are they like?”

Zhou Wei was respectful enough toward him and answered: “Well, as for their learning, I really cannot tell much. But those who look promising in the capital — they don’t actually seem so capable when it comes to real work. That said, I think a few of the ladies here are genuinely quite something.”

Zhù Ying said, “How so?”

Zhou Wei stated it plainly: “They dared to leave home and family behind and make it here!” Saying so, she pointed toward several locations within the guesthouse, introducing each to Zhù Ying in turn. The women were staying in the southeast corner — three rooms altogether, with several women sharing each room; there were six women in total. Together with the five from the school, that made eleven women altogether. In the northeast corner near the woodshed was a room with one man and one woman — but it was the man sitting the examination, not the woman.

Apart from these, all the other examination candidates were men. Making the journey from afar required first obtaining a travel permit, and most offices would not issue a permit for a woman traveling alone — those who could not manage that were screened out before they even started. Then Wuzhou being deep in the mountains further screened people out.

Those who made it to Wuzhou to sit the examination were, on the whole, hardy survivors — people whose lives were tough enough to hold.

Zhou Wei asked, “Who would you like to see?”

Zhao Su laughed and said, “You, when speaking to Elder, have talked only about the women — you said nothing at all about the male candidates. You are quite unfair.”

Zhou Wei said matter-of-factly: “There are more than enough people concerned about the male candidates — you asked about them with barely one word from me. But no one gives much thought to the ladies. So I will just have to keep track of them instead.”

Zhao Su could only smile and shake his head. Zhou Wei was always this way — stubborn and unyielding in her opinions, and there was simply no arguing with her. Zhao Su asked about the male candidates’ hometowns and backgrounds, and among them spotted a familiar face — a fellow townsman from Fulu County: Wang Jiu.

Zhao Su glanced at Zhù Ying, who was asking the man-and-woman pair: “You do not look like siblings — surely you are husband and wife?” He lowered his voice and asked Wang Jiu, “How did you end up here without so much as a calling card?”

This too was the custom at court examinations — before sitting the test, one was expected to make a name for oneself and spend some time calling on influential contacts. Wang Jiu said in a low voice, “I ran away from home.”

Zhao Su looked at this young man, struck momentarily speechless. Wang Jiu was nineteen years old this year — approximately born after Zhù Ying had first arrived in Fulu County. Since Zhù Ying’s arrival, life in Fulu County had improved steadily, and Wang Jiu’s life had grown increasingly comfortable as his family prospered. Like the guards at the estate, he had grown up hearing the stories of Zhù Ying from his earliest days. And then, unfortunately, his family elders had held Zhù Ying up as the example he should aspire to follow. When Zhù Ying came back and his family elders were still deliberating, he had run off ahead of them.

Wang Jiu asked Zhao Su, “Do you think I have what it takes?”

Zhao Su lowered his voice: “Do not ask me things like that — people will accuse me of favoritism. Rely on your own abilities, take the examination, and that is all!”

Wang Jiu grinned. “Alright!”

Zhao Su could not help feeling a pang of sympathy for this fool’s parents. He could not resist casting another glance at Zhù Ying. Before Zhù Ying, the young couple had already knelt, tears streaming down their faces — a picture of misery, clearly a pair of ill-starred lovers. Drawing close, he could hear the young woman saying, “We beg the Prefect’s compassion.”

But the young man said: “The fault is all mine! Do not blame Wan Niang! Whatever punishment there is, I alone will bear it. She is a woman of no standing — since she cannot make her own choices, she should not be held responsible.”

Zhao Su poked Zhou Wei in the back of the shoulder. Zhou Wei turned around; Zhao Su gestured with his chin and asked, “What is going on?”

Zhou Wei said, with a somewhat bored air, “Fugitive lovers. They would not obey their parents and agree to an arranged marriage, so they ran off together.” She rather admired the girl for having the courage to flee — but she could not understand why she had to flee with a man in tow. Why drag along a burden? Could she not have managed on her own?

But this girl was quite determined. She clung to the young man beside her and said to Zhù Ying: “My lord has not announced any exclusion of people like us. We have nowhere else to go, and we would not presume to ask for special favor. We only ask that you shelter us — give us a roof over our heads. If we pass the examination, he will give his utmost service. If we do not, then our abilities are simply insufficient — we ask only to be allowed to remain here, to farm or to work by trade, to be self-supporting and not a burden on anyone. We will repay the Prefect’s great grace however we can.”

Zhù Ying looked at her hands and suddenly asked, “Can you read?”

“Oh — yes, I can.”

“Zhou Wei, register her as well. Let her sit the examination.”

The girl looked startled. “Me — me — me?”

Zhù Ying said, “I have never restricted the examination to men.”

The girl still hesitated for a moment. The young man’s face lit with delight. He bowed his head first and said, “Thank you, my lord!” Then he turned to persuade the girl: “Wan Niang, you have always been smarter and more capable than I am. Now that there is this chance — and here we are, having already come this far — and the Prefect is gracious enough to take us both in, why not give it a try? Perhaps you will have a brighter future than I do.”

Wan Niang’s expression remained uncertain. Zhou Wei was already pushing her way through: “Now that is the right spirit! Come on, give me your name so I can register you!”

Both Zhù Ying and Zhao Su found this pair quite entertaining.

…

Time flew, and before long it was the third month. The examination began officially.

The venue was set at Mountain City’s school. It lasted three days, covering everything from ritual protocol and legal statutes to arithmetic and essay composition. When the three days were done, Zhù Ying and Zhao Su and others reviewed the papers, ultimately selecting twenty candidates — five women and fifteen men — among whom was the very “Wan Niang,” whose full name proved to be Jiang Wan. Of the five girls who had come from Fulu County, only Si Niang passed. Among those Su Mingluan had sent, one man and one woman both made the cut.

Of those selected, the oldest was a middle-aged man of around forty, his clothes bearing visible patches, his appearance rather impoverished. The candidate who placed first, however, was a finely dressed young man of perhaps thirty — round-faced and chubby, with an air of guileless good humor.

Zhao Su did not yet feel strongly about this, but Zhou Wei’s old ways took over. She slipped away to find Er Jiang, and said to Jiang Zhou, “Is it not odd? The examination is open to men and women alike — so why are there still far more men selected? Could something be amiss?”

Jiang Zhou looked at her rather strangely and said, “What is strange about that? Men who have studied have always outnumbered women. Even those who know a few characters — how many families can afford to keep a daughter in school beyond that? Think of how much money that would take. What’s here already is no small thing.”

Zhou Wei said, with some bitterness, “Sooner or later, girls will have to be given the same chance to study as boys!” She made a quiet vow to herself to find occasion to bring this up with Zhù Ying, Huajie, and Zhang Xiangu.

On the other side, Zhù Ying had no such dissatisfaction. The examination papers had been set by her, the scoring done by her, and who to select and how to assign them was all worked out in her mind. Once selections were made, each person was assigned to a department — some as clerks, some to manage the granaries — and all were given arrangements. As for herself, she had a new journey ahead: to disguise herself and scout out the Xika and the Jima territories.

For public consumption, however, it was announced that she was going to the salt fields.