Zhao Su, suppressing his excitement, was just about to take his leave when a thought suddenly struck him — what form were the seals to take?
He swallowed the words of departure back down and steadied himself; a bead of sweat had formed at his temple. In times past, he would never have overlooked a detail like this. He hurriedly asked: “Elder Matriarch, the material, dimensions, grade, typeface, and knob design of the seals? And what characters are to be cast? There must be some official designation.”
Zhù Ying looked at him — he had calmed down — and turned the question back to him: “What do you think?”
Zhao Su of course did not dare to decide on his own; instead he said: “Please give your instructions. But since rank must be differentiated, the dimensions, materials, and ribbon colors should all differ accordingly. And since these seals are issued by you, they should bear some distinction from the court’s. But the dimensions…”
In his mind, Zhao Su already had a rough idea: divide them into three grades — gold, silver, and copper. The gold seal would correspond to Zhù Ying herself, the future Military Governor; the silver seals would correspond to the prefectural governors she was about to appoint; the copper seals would correspond to county magistrates. Establish these three standards, and everything else could be calibrated from there.
After all, they had gold, silver, copper, and iron on hand, they had craftsmen, they knew the characters — the casting technique might be a little wanting, but it was manageable.
The hard part was the “design” — the dimensions, shape, and style. To copy the imperial court’s form entirely would make the distinction impossible to see at a glance, which would never do; to produce something merely one size smaller than the court’s felt unsatisfying.
But he would not venture more words on it. He was waiting for Zhù Ying to instruct him, because the hardest part — the design — still exceeded his confidence.
Zhù Ying gave it a moment’s thought and said: “Do not use square seals. Use round seals.”
“Pardon?” Zhao Su blinked, then added: “Brilliant!”
With an entirely different form from everyone else, comparison became impossible, and it was easy to fend off the court when they came prodding — and if the size was slightly larger or smaller, it would not attract as much quibbling. Once the round seal was established, every other problem resolved itself.
Zhao Su then asked: “In that case… how many of each are to be cast? What characters are to go on your gold seal? And how many for the prefectural level? And what are the names of the new prefectures and counties? Or should only rank be cast, with the specific names stated in the accompanying edict? How are the seals to be kept, replaced, and managed? Should this follow the court’s regulations as well?”
These were all significant questions — especially the storage, activation, retirement, and archival registration of the seals.
Zhù Ying said: “The court’s regulations have their good points and their bad points. Whatever is useful, why not put it to use? They too inherited from those before them — why should I not follow the wise precedents of antiquity? Cast several extra as reserves, and cast them by rank for now. Oh — and the soldiers must have their identity tokens as well.”
“Yes. And the token for the Elder Matriarch’s mother — shall we cast one for her as well?”
Zhù Ying paused, then said: “Her? All right.”
The two of them estimated the quantities together: two gold seals, seven silver, more than a hundred copper. Zhù Ying also designated Zhù Qingye to take concurrent charge of the management of the seals.
Zhao Su asked again: “Should your ‘edicts’ simply be called ‘edicts’? And should the format for official documents and correspondence be restandardized?” The court’s policy pronouncements were in fact divided into several types; the Emperor’s decrees, though referred to loosely in casual speech interchangeably, were in fact distinguished in practice — some more solemn, some more casual, some reserved for specific occasions. Zhao Su, having absorbed all of this so thoroughly, naturally thought of it as a template.
Zhù Ying said: “Let us start with two types.” One would be the formal official-document type; the other would be for her direct personal orders.
Zhao Su opened his document case and wrote at a furious pace. When he had finished writing, he was left with an unsatisfied feeling — he very much wanted to volunteer himself to establish a complete set of ritual and ceremonial protocols for all of Wuzhou.
No! That was not the most important thing right now! He quickly suppressed the impulse, and hesitated over whether to raise something else… No, no — asking who would hold which office was also not appropriate to bring up right now. He could not raise it. Zhao Su bowed to Zhù Ying: “If you have no further instructions, I will go now and summon the craftsmen to begin.”
But Zhù Ying added: “Very well. Come back tomorrow, and we will gather with Qingjun and the others to discuss everyone’s official duties and ranks.”
This was precisely what Zhao Su had wanted to ask but had not dared. He immediately agreed and hurried off to find the craftsmen.
Zhù Ying rapped her knuckles on the desk, rose, and headed for Su Zhe’s quarters.
——
Su Zhe had come back with troops and with wounds, and Zhù Ying had not yet sent her straight back to Asu County — she would rest in Mountain City for a while first, wait for Su Mingluan and the others to arrive, receive her seal, and then return home. Once the rainy season was past, she would be brought along for the next westward campaign.
Su Zhe was more familiar with the prefectural office than she was with her own home; the moment she entered the room she kicked off her shoes and changed into a pair of slippers. Her maidservants brought her warm water, and not long after, Huajie arrived in person carrying her medicine case and accompanied by two young girls, to tend to Su Zhe’s wounds.
Su Zhe had military physicians in her unit, conscientious women — yet on campaign there was no room for any kind of care, and she could not properly convalesce. When Huajie unwrapped the bandages, she said disapprovingly: “Not taking care of yourself! That hurts, doesn’t it?”
Su Zhe was in fact in pain, but she put on her usual unconcerned air: “It’s nothing — what battle doesn’t come with injuries? The Elder Matriarch has been wounded before.”
“This wound of yours is rather…” Huajie said softly. “How did it happen?”
How did it happen? Su Zhe’s maidservants also served as her personal guard, and their faces all showed displeasure; one of them let out a soft “hmm.” Huajie, bent low over the wound, paid no attention, but Su Zhe said: “Oh, look at you — picking up Qingye’s habits. She makes that noise when she lectures the Elder Matriarch; now you’re doing it to me.” She shot the maidservants a glance, and they lowered their heads and fell silent.
Huajie, not noticing, chattered on: “No wonder people say children take after their parents — even the way you talk is just like her! Hurt yourself and still being difficult, not letting anyone look after you…”
Su Zhe deliberately kept Huajie talking: “Then that saying isn’t quite right either — look at Lin Feng, he doesn’t take after the Elder Matriarch at all.”
Huajie said with mock displeasure: “That mouth of yours — that takes after her.”
Su Zhe said: “True.”
A genuine touch of warmth came to her face. She lowered her eyes and looked at her wound, then her lips pressed down slightly at the corners again — this wound of hers had come about in an infuriating way.
Her equipment was the finest available; she also did not particularly pursue charging at the front or dueling enemy commanders. In real war, “the two generals duel first, and whichever side wins then sweeps forward with their army for a glorious victory” was something that very rarely happened. She also had many guards around her — opportunities to be wounded were not many.
This wound was thoroughly wrongful. Its origin lay with her maternal cousins — she had many uncles and thus many cousins, and bringing these men into battle served her own private purposes. But the cousins also had their own private purposes, and the two sets of private purposes did not align. Each cousin had also brought his own retinue of local soldiers. Although Zhù Ying had appointed Su Zhe as the commander of this column, they did not always listen to her.
They wanted to distinguish themselves, and so they would charge forward without regard for anything — their soldiers would follow them charging. Su Zhe had been forced to accommodate them time and again. At first, with a little courage and an opponent who was not particularly formidable, they had won some engagements. This only inflated their arrogance — until they ran into the Jima fighters.
From the moment one entered Wuzhou territory and headed west, the opponents became progressively less capable the further west one went at first — but once past the territory of the Xika people, the further west one went, the more capable the opponents became!
The cousins ran headlong into something tough and took a blow for it. Su Zhe had not been inclined to intervene — she had intended to let them take a lesson — but the enemy seized the opportunity presented by the routing cousins and came fighting through. Su Zhe was caught off guard for a moment; although she steadied the situation, she took a wound herself.
But this was not something she could tell to anyone — not even to Zhù Ying. This was a secret belonging only to herself and her mother.
The room was quiet. One person worked carefully on the wound; the other was lost in thought. The silence held until it was broken by the arrival of Zhù Qingjun and Lu Danqing — they had come to visit Su Zhe.
Zhù Qingjun said: “I made another round of the camp — you have nothing to worry about.”
Lu Danqing added: “I see those brothers of yours have behaved themselves a little better. If they cause trouble again, I’ll beat them for you!”
Su Zhe said with a smile: “Good.”
Huajie tied a small bow at the end of the bandage: “Done.”
Su Zhe smiled again: “Thank you, Auntie.”
The young apprentice picked up the basin of water and took away the used bandages and went out. She had not gone far when she encountered Zhù Ying coming over; Zhù Ying glanced at the reddish-green stains on the bandage and the basin of bloodied water, and asked: “Has Little Sister’s wound worsened again?”
The apprentice smiled: “A touch of festering, but Teacher has re-dressed and applied medicine. As long as she rests properly, it will be fine.”
Zhù Ying said: “Go on — I’ll go look in on her.”
From inside the room they had already heard the sound; everyone came out to meet her. Zhù Ying said: “Go back in and sit. Little Sister, that wound of yours…”
Su Zhe looked piteously at Huajie. Huajie said: “It’s been dealt with. A good thing she came back when she did — if she had still been on the road, this wound would have worsened again, and who knows how long it would have taken to heal.”
Zhù Ying accepted a cup of tea, took a sip, and then suddenly asked Su Zhe: “Those cousins of yours — are you still going to keep them with you? If any of them are no use, send them away. The battlefield is not like other places — do not let them be your undoing.”
Su Zhe’s heart skipped a beat; her hand gave a slight tremble. She pasted on a broad smile: “Still, it’s you who look out for me. But I will eventually have to deal with them regardless — before, I was raised close to you, and I was not very familiar with them. This time, though we’ve had our quarrels along the way, we’ve come to know each other. If I separate from them now, I’ll just have to start the whole grinding process again later — and that would be truly exhausting. Things are better now. My having gotten this wound — once I lose my temper over it, they’ll behave themselves considerably more. I can’t afford to have been hurt for nothing.”
Zhù Ying said: “That’s fair.”
She glanced at Zhù Qingjun and the others and said: “Now that you’re back, each of you should go through the merits and faults of the soldiers under your command. We’ve been fighting this long — everyone has been addressed as ‘Colonel’ or ‘Chief’ in a loose, makeshift fashion. It is time to establish proper ranks.”
The young women were surprised, and then excited. Lu Danqing asked: “Is this a petition to the imperial court? But we haven’t taken all of Jima yet — this battle isn’t over, is it?” Titles and rewards were usually given after a campaign, though mid-campaign promotions also occurred; Lu Danqing wanted to confirm which situation this was.
Zhù Ying said: “Not the imperial court — me. I am going to establish positions for everyone. If the court right now handed a military authority token to someone and brought it here, could we be expected to accept that appointment?”
“Absolutely not!” Su Zhe and Zhù Qingjun said in unison.
“Well then,” Zhù Ying spread her hands, “you have all felt it as the fighting has gone on — the further it expands, the more clearly defined everything needs to be. A breakdown of communication in the army costs lives. Qingjun, go and inform Lin Feng and the others. The rest of you — likewise. Let everyone put their heads together, draft a proposal of ranks for me to look at. The next time we set out, we’ll be a different force altogether!”
A cheer went up from the young women. Zhù Ying looked on with a quiet smile.
——
In the days that followed, Zhao Su, Zhù Qingjun, and the others were each busy with their own affairs, while Zhù Ying was also occupied with reviewing all the accumulated business of Wuzhou from these past months. When the sky cleared, she would accompany Zhang Xiangu on a stroll through the city and personally oversee the distribution of relief payments to bereaved families.
On one such day, the sky had cleared, but Zhù Ying was unable to go out — Zhao Su had finished preparing the samples of the seals and brought them for her inspection. Zhù Qingjun and the others had also submitted their proposed merits, faults, and rankings for each person.
And at that very moment, Su Mingluan, Lang Kunwu, and the others began arriving one after another, while Lin Feng came to pay his respects alongside his eldest brother.
This new Lin family chief, the moment he saw Zhù Ying, fell to his knees and wept bitterly: “Elder Matriarch! Elder Matriarch! Save me!”
Zhù Ying helped him up. “What is there to cry about? Say it plainly — we will all work through it together.”
The chief said: “Father has barely left us, and my family has come to this — I am truly sorry to you, Elder Matriarch. Had I known, I would have taught him a proper lesson long ago, spared him from going out and embarrassing us! Whatever quarrel we have within the family, however bad it gets, one should not go running to outsiders to make a spectacle of it! And the imperial court, at that — they have never regarded our people as fully human! Who knows what trouble this will cause!”
Zhù Ying said: “It is not so serious. I have already sent someone to negotiate outside the mountain. I only have one question for you — if he comes back, what will you do? And if he does not come back, then what?”
“His wife has already gone back to her parents’ home — not because I drove her away; she left on her own, saying that a man who runs away like this has already abandoned wife and children in his heart, and she wants no more to do with him. I kept the children. If he does not come back, I will raise the children all the same. If he comes back, I intend to apply family discipline.”
Zhù Ying asked again: “What kind of family discipline? You have more brothers than just this one.”
“To make an example. A beating, a period of confinement — once he has corrected himself, he is still my good brother. I ask you to bear witness.”
“Agreed,” said Zhù Ying.
She then looked at Lu Guo and Xi Jin — they had aged a bit more since the last time she had seen them. Zhù Ying looked at them and said: “Thank you all for making the trip. There is something I wish to discuss with everyone.”
She explained the matter of casting the seals and issuing the edicts. The Lin family’s eldest brother was first to voice his approval: “Best this way! That imperial court is so far away — how could they know anything about what happens here? The Elder Matriarch understands us best. As long as you approve, I need nothing else!”
Having said so, he also asked his brother-in-law: “You agree, don’t you?”
Lang Kunwu exchanged a glance with him. “We received our imperial commissions through the Elder Matriarch in the first place. There can be no going behind her back to cozy up with the court!”
Su Mingluan gave a soft laugh: “And you’d have to actually succeed in cozying up! They treat you as their mountain, you treat them as their beast of burden.”
Lu Guo and Xi Jin had always followed the prevailing wind; now they were also old and ailing, and their only real question was whether the salt fields could send a bit more salt for them to sell. Wuzhou had been trading with the lowlands quite briskly lately, hadn’t it?
Su Zhe smiled: “Great-uncles, the salt fields haven’t done the work, you know — we used to take it for free; the people doing the boiling were all brought in by the Elder Matriarch. The Elder Matriarch still needs salt to trade with the lowlands for grain — we shouldn’t be asking for more, should we?”
These two old men! Wuzhou was trading grain for salt, and life in Zhù County was tight — they were not unaware of that. The monthly markets had not closed; news from within Wuzhou had not stopped. They had both watched Zhù Ying fight until her household had been fought into poverty, and only because of that had they refrained from making trouble. Not helping was one thing — though honestly it would be better not to have them dragging things backward either — but they actually had the nerve to want to take advantage.
Zhao Su curled the corner of his mouth in silent frustration. He thought it was a genuine pity that a fine young woman like Lu Danqing should have such a father! Jin Yu also seemed like a decent enough person — not someone who lacked decency!
Lu Danqing also cried: “Father!”
Of all the people present, these two were the oldest and the most senior in generation; being spoken to like this by the younger ones, their faces began to show strain: “We only made a passing remark — what are you all getting at? Little Sister hasn’t spoken yet!” They had also followed their younger sister in calling Zhù Ying “Little Sister.”
Su Mingluan and Lang Kunwu stepped in to smooth things over.
Zhù Ying said: “Everyone has raised fair points. If our two elder brothers have needs, distributing a little more is not out of the question. But you have both heard what Little Sister just said, and I also need some things to exchange for grain. Here is what I propose: if you wish to receive more salt, you bring something else in exchange — I will not take it for nothing. For example: copper ore, cinnabar — we can run these together the way the salt fields are run, share the operations and share the proceeds. What do you say?”
The two of them hesitated.
Zhù Ying smiled gently: “Think it over carefully — there is no pressure to agree. The salt, I will continue distributing in the current amounts regardless. If you agree, we can sit down and negotiate a fresh arrangement for how everything is split.”
Only then did their expressions soften.
Zhù Ying said with a smile: “You have all had a tiring journey. Please rest at the guest quarters first. Tonight, we dine together. In just a few days, the seals will be ready, and we will formally establish everyone’s titles and distribute the seals to each of you.”
“Wonderful!”
——
A few more days passed. The mountain city, high and low, gradually settled from the excitement of the “victorious return,” and what followed was a simple yet suitably solemn investiture ceremony.
The location was within Mountain City itself. A high platform was erected; Zhù Ying ascended it first and performed rites to Heaven and Earth, a great copper brazier burning with a vigorous charcoal fire. A ritual address composed by Zhao Su was read aloud, declaring that Zhù Ying had acted in the cause of “defending the territory and settling the people” — enumerating her achievements and informing the powers of Heaven and Earth that this corner of the world now had a person in charge.
Zhù Ying bore the title of Military Governor.
She received a seal for herself, then had Zhang Xiangu seated and personally carried another seal to present to her mother with both hands. Zhang Xiangu was still somewhat dazed — she had no understanding of this ritual at all. Even in the capital she had never witnessed anything like it. But when it was her daughter’s moment, she would certainly be there to lend it weight — she accepted the seal with a smile, after which Jiang Shi, who stood at her side, held it for her.
Next, Zhù Ying announced the prepared list of appointments. Since she was still nominally Wuzhou’s Prefectural Governor on the imperial court’s books, she did not give Zhao Su and Zhù Lian the title of Wuzhou Prefectural Governor even though they functioned as prefectural governors — she assigned them to other prefectures, while having Zhao Su concurrently manage Wuzhou affairs. The others — Xiang An, Xiang Le, and so forth — each received their own duties; Xiang Le was given the position of Deputy Governor, formally becoming Zhao Su’s second-in-command. Jiang Wan, Wang Jiu, Xiang Yu, and the others all received county magistrate designations. The county magistrates of the original five counties each additionally received a round seal and a formal edict.
Zhù Qingjun was promoted to General. Su Zhe and the others retained their acting Colonel designations, and the remaining soldiers each received a proper rank.
In that instant, from the top of the mountain to its foot, a chorus of jubilant cries!
After the ceremony, a banquet was held at the prefectural office. Zhù Ying gathered all those who had just been “invested” and said: “Once the western campaign is won, those who wish to seek imperial commissions — I will arrange for it at that time.”
Another round of declarations of loyalty followed.
That day, host and guests alike parted in high spirits.
From the next day onward, Jiang Wan and the others set out to take up their posts, departing one after another. Su Zhe also returned home with Su Mingluan to rest and recuperate, awaiting Zhù Ying’s next summons. Lin Feng’s eldest brother and brother-in-law Lang Kunwu stayed behind to the very end, waiting for the outcome of Zhù Ying’s negotiations with Jiang Zheng.
Zhù Ying was not anxious. Jiang Zheng would most likely not decide on his own authority — even sending an urgent dispatch to the court by fast horse, a response could not possibly come back to her in fewer than half a month.
Her estimation was correct. The moment Jiang Zheng heard of the “chief family dispute,” he had no intention of getting involved. The eldest son inheriting — that was the natural order of things. As for this second son, one look was enough to tell he lacked for nothing materially. Jiang Zheng also understood clearly that Zhù Ying had come up through the Court of Judicial Review — if the division of family property were grossly unfair, she would not leave it unaddressed.
Reporting it to the court was merely to cover himself.
The Council of State also quickly reached a conclusion — do nothing.
If the court had no other pressing matters, this would have been an excellent opportunity to intervene. But the court currently had its hands full. Wuzhou had, nominally at least, already become a loosely administered territory, with a difficult person entrenched there — it was not easy to maneuver. When the court recovered its footing, it could manufacture a pretext even without one; there was no particular need for this one runaway second son.
Jiang Zheng received the reply and sent an official dispatch to Wuzhou: you have someone here with us — come collect him. The court has absolutely no ill intentions!
Zhù Ying received Jiang Zheng’s document and dispatched Zhù Wen to handle the matter. Lin Feng also wanted to go, but Zhù Ying did not permit it: “Once the person has been collected, he is to live here with me. You brothers are to be kept apart — no more fighting.”
Lin Feng’s eldest brother promptly knelt again on the spot: “Elder Matriarch, this is still my brother — even if we are to separate, he must first come home. He needs to make offerings to our father at the hearth fire. His wife is also gone; there are family matters that need to be settled at home. Speaking of such things out here is not right.”
Zhù Ying looked at Lin Feng. Lin Feng suddenly found his clarity: “I’ll go with them.”
Zhù Ying looked at him steadily and said: “Zhù Wen goes with you. On your own, he may not be willing to come back. You are to bring him home properly.”
A chill ran down Lin Feng’s spine. “Yes.” He was somewhat bewildered — he did not understand why Zhù Ying was being so serious about this.
Very soon, he would understand.
Five days later, Lin Feng returned from the mountain with an ashen face, leading a girl of eight or nine by the hand: “Elder Matriarch! Second Brother is dead!”