There was truly no one who dared to come howling at Zhù Ying’s door.

They might dare to argue with Wang Shuliang, but none would risk incurring Zhù Ying’s wrath. Who was easy to provoke and who was not — these people understood better than anyone. Because Zhù Ying — they had all made inquiries — she was genuinely the sort who dared to strike and kill, and when she moved against someone, she never stopped to consider the occasion. She had beaten men in red robes and purple sashes right in the great hall; she had personally pursued and cut down assassins at the palace gates — with her own hands.

Fine, they thought. We won’t lower ourselves to quarrel with a mere old woman. In any case, she will die eventually.

The precedent had already been set more than fifty years ago, and in the more than fifty years that followed, the practice of appointing female administrative deputies and female constables in various localities had long been put into practice.

In truth, if one truly wished to do it, the strict separation of the sexes was never the greatest obstacle. The real problem had always been “corruption” — the long-standing web of human connections and favors in officialdom. Things like obtaining posts through petitions for leniency, or outright purchasing appointments — that sort of thing.

The provincial governors and the county magistrates who had come to the capital in rotation this year for evaluations were most concerned with their own career prospects. As for female medical students and the newly established position of female judicial assistant, those mattered far less. If the state examined and appointed female judicial assistants, they would simply receive them. There would always be the inconvenience they found troubling — how would a woman travel to take up an appointment in a distant region?

Native locals were not supposed to hold office in their home regions. And a woman traveling alone to a strange place? Think on it. Think hard.

On this point, Zhù Ying had already thought things through long ago. Even at one per county, that would still require over a thousand people — where to find hundreds or thousands of female magistrates at this stage? Her plan was to first assign one female judicial assistant to each prefecture. No matter where she was posted, the court could still guarantee that a single official could safely reach the prefectural city and maintain her life there.

At the moment, it was estimated that not every prefecture could be covered. It would begin with the capital region and gradually extend outward, just as it had been done in the early days of establishing female administrative deputies. Zhù Ying did everything with patience.

She and Yue Miaojun were sitting and chatting in the Zhù residence. Yue Miaojun handed Zhù Ying a stack of papers: “The examination questions that Twenty-Third Young Lady composed are quite good — they should be able to identify people suitable for use in the household offices. As for the questions for the Law Examination, that is not my area of expertise. I have only read a little law and have never personally adjudicated a case, so I dare not presume to set questions.”

Zhù Ying took them and said, “Good. When the time comes, I will ask you to help review the answers.”

“Me? This… I have never done it before, and I dare not say whether I can or cannot. Though I do comment on essays at home, this is selecting scholars for the state. It cannot be taken lightly.”

“Come now — selecting scholars for the state is not always so solemn. All right, all right, I won’t joke. You won’t be the only one reading them. As for the law and case adjudication, I will teach you. These days we also need to evaluate local county magistrates, and these are things that will come up. There is also how to assess officials, the court’s system of evaluation…”

Yue Miaojun grew more and more astonished as she listened: “What? I… why would I need to know all this?”

“You, Qingxue, A’Tong, Twenty-Third Young Lady, Xiaozhen — you will all listen together. Perhaps one day you will come to understand it even more profoundly than they do!”

“What do you mean?”

“To let you observe how one serves as Prime Minister. If only I am doing it, where is the interest in that?”

Yue Miaojun covered her mouth. No one had ever held such expectations of her — not even herself.

“If one cannot serve as Prime Minister, what kind of soaring eagle does that make you?” Zhù Ying said lightly. “Though I have no way to push you into that position directly — you have never even served in a local post, so you are still lacking somewhat. Nevertheless, knowing and learning what one ought to know can do no harm. In the future you will be participating in political discussions, and I cannot have you stumbling into elementary blunders that others would then use as grounds to silence you.”

“I…”

Zhù Ying said, “His Majesty’s health is poor, and the Crown Prince is still young.”

Yue Miaojun’s heart began to pound — harder than it had when she learned of the Zheng family’s marriage proposal: “Can I… can I manage it?”

Zhù Ying gave her a puzzled look: “You cannot?”

“I can!”

Zhù Ying tilted her head with a slight smile: “Well then, what is there to worry about? Come, let us go see the guildhall. Qingxue — where is she?”

The party changed into ordinary clothes, boarded a carriage, descended near the guildhall, and walked the rest of the way. Zhù Ying spoke to Yue Miaojun about how to interact with examination candidates, and also spoke of life in the marketplace. Yue Miaojun was by no means a woman who did not know the world of ordinary people, but the everyday comforts she knew were a few dozen times costlier than those of ordinary households, and many things still required Zhù Ying’s explanation.

In the Zheng residence, the Grand Matriarch had set aside household affairs and left them to her son and daughter-in-law, who were quite happy about this. And so the Zhù household gained a new mistress. Apart from being unable to bring her to court or personally evaluate officials, Zhù Ying also brought her case files — some criminal cases, documents, and the like — which she gradually grew familiar with.

When Zhù Ying received outside guests, there were times Yue Miaojun was behind the folding screen, and times she sat beside Zhù Ying — as when meeting Gu Tong and others.

Using the occasion to suppress land annexation was a consensus in the Grand Council that required no negotiation. Zhù Ying said to Gu Tong, “I am transferring you to a new post. Do good work for me there.”

Gu Tong had at last been promoted to Prefectural Governor, and he was moved to tears with gratitude. A number of southern officials also came to pay their respects and be received as her followers. Zhù Ying assessed each one carefully. Gu Tong and the others were all considered “older in years”; she paid more attention to the “younger” ones. Even a young Prefectural Governor was forty or fifty years old. Among the county magistrates there were younger men, though years of buffeting by the official world had already given them a weathered, frost-bitten look.

Yue Miaojun kept taking notes without pause. Much of what she witnessed was truly different from the grand strategic discourse she had engaged in while reading books. During Zheng Xi’s lifetime, she had also participated in certain confidential schemes, yet comparing the two now, she realized her own experience had been lacking.

That day, after the visitors had taken their leave, Yue Miaojun came out from behind the folding screen and sighed: “No wonder people always resented the interference of women and eunuchs in governance — and rightfully so! Reading books alone without understanding these practical matters is simply not enough. The women of deep inner quarters, relying only on scattered fragments and a few stray words, make far more errors than they get right when they try to meddle in politics!”

“They are simply not given the chance to learn,” Zhù Ying said. “You also keep birds. If you clip their wings, or keep them in a cage, a bird cannot fly.”

Yue Miaojun said, “One can only keep fluttering as best one can, and if one can fly out of the cage, all the better. By the way, there is something…”

“Hmm?”

“It is a matter of personal connections. The Leng family has a girl — her parents love her dearly and cannot bear to see her married away. The original plan was for her to leave the secular world and become a Taoist nun. I am wondering — could she perhaps take a government post as an official?”

Zhù Ying asked with interest: “Is that so?”

“Yes. That would certainly be far better than becoming a Taoist nun. A female Taoist nun is also a kind of status, of course, but…”

Beyond the various prefectures, the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice had also established female positions. In the Court of Judicial Review there were now two female reviewers and two female supervisors each — newly added positions. What the Leng family was seeking was the position of reviewer at the Court of Judicial Review.

Yue Miaojun said, “I have met the girl myself, and her learning is excellent — she is well versed in the law. You may examine her again yourself. The Court of Judicial Review reviewer position — is it not also… appointed after one passes the Law Examination, and then one learns on the job?”

Zhù Ying said, “Bring her to me tomorrow and let me see her. If she is truly as fine as you say, as long as she sits for the examination, she will be capable of passing on her own merits. Think about it — how many literate women are there in all the realm? And of those, how many are genuinely proficient in reading and writing? And of those, fewer still have also studied the law.”

Yue Miaojun gave a wry smile: “Her family is too concerned about her and came to me. No matter what, I had to at least say something on her behalf.”

Zhù Ying said, “I understand. Bring her tomorrow.”

“Good. I will go back and tell them now.”

Yue Miaojun had barely stepped out the door before Liu Kun came in and knelt before Zhù Ying. Zhù Ying said, “What good thing have you done now?”

Liu Kun, her heart full of tears, looked up in bewilderment: “What? What do you mean? I haven’t done anything!”

Zhù Ying said, “Then why are you kneeling?”

“My lord, having heard what the Madam just said, I immediately thought of Twelfth Young Lady. If there is any room for a turn of fortune, I beg you to take pity.”

Zhù Ying did not tell her to rise, but asked: “What if she is not as capable as the other candidate? What if the other candidate also happens to need this position to avoid an unwanted marriage?”

Liu Kun sank to the floor, unable to answer.

“However, I can indeed agree to the Leng family’s request. Leng Yun, after all, was once my superior!” Zhù Ying said.

Liu Kun understood that this matter was as good as settled.

“Get up. There is still work to do tomorrow, though you are not permitted to meet this person beforehand.”

“Yes.”

Zhù Ying was aware that Yao, Wang, Shi, and their associates still did not fully grasp her proposal. They might not be genuinely supportive of it, and it was quite possible they might recant before long. The pretexts for recanting were all readily available, and there would certainly be even more people to support such recanting. To sustain it going forward, there needed to be a sufficient number of people who would benefit from it and be willing to defend it.

One very simple method was to allow powerful and influential people who were already established to have a stake in it.

The Leng family, though diminished in recent years, was a camel that remained larger than a horse even in death. She had even given up the idea of transferring some ready-made female magistrates from Annan, precisely so that this matter could be carried forward.

However, the next day Zhù Ying returned home a little late, causing this Miss Leng to wait an extra half an hour — something had happened at the palace.

Since being escorted back to the capital, Prince Qi had first been temporarily held in the Court of Judicial Review’s prison. Now that his case had been adjudicated, Shi Jixing had released him from custody. He had originally been sentenced to be demoted to commoner status and sent into exile, but just before his departure, the Empress Dowager had suddenly issued an order for him to return to the palace and see his birth mother once more before leaving.

What no one anticipated was that Yan Gui refused to see him. She kept her chamber door tightly shut. Prince Qi was kept kneeling outside her door and could not leave.

The two sides were at a standstill. The Noble Consort and the Emperor both went to “persuade” Yan Gui, but in the end Yan Gui still did not come out of her room, and the Emperor even wore himself out in the effort. After the Noble Consort escorted the Emperor away, Prince Qi was temporarily returned to the Court of Judicial Review’s prison, to be brought back and tried again two or three more times — after three refusals, the imperial family’s show of magnanimity would be sufficiently displayed, and Prince Qi could then be sent on his way.

Unexpectedly, that same evening, Yan Gui “hanged herself.” She was not a criminal, but still a consort of the Late Emperor, and her rank had not been low. Therefore, the state was obliged to arrange her funeral. The Emperor also issued an order exempting Prince Qi from exile to a distant region, changing it instead to confining him within his original princely residence. For the moment, he was still to be permitted to perform the mourning rites.

There was certainly something suspicious about the affair, but to the outside world, the Emperor’s face was preserved. Prince Qi had previously caused a great fuss over his birth mother, and a mother becoming angry with her son was understandable enough. That she had now hanged herself in anger… could be construed as, well, vaguely plausible.

However, according to Zhù Tong, who had been dispatched to “stand guard,” when Prince Qi was outside weeping and begging his mother’s forgiveness, Yan Gui was being held down by several burly eunuchs who would not allow her to go out and respond.

Zhù Ying said, “Noted. Do not speak of this to anyone else. And on the day Prince Qi dies, you are to mention it even less.”

“Yes.”

Yan Gui’s funeral was something the Grand Council needed to briefly look into, and Prince Qi’s revised sentence also needed to be further discussed with the Emperor — Prince Qi’s residence had been thoroughly searched and stripped bare, and it was currently completely uninhabitable. For the sake of appearances, a few presentable rooms would at minimum need to be set in order for him to live in. A new princely residence? Zhù Ying would absolutely not agree to that. She only agreed to having three courtyards repaired — one for Prince Qi to live in, and two for the guards.

Once all this was attended to, she was finally able to return home and meet Miss Leng. The young woman had come accompanied by her mother, her maternal aunt, and Yue Miaojun. She had been waiting anxiously, and when Zhù Ying returned, she nearly forgot the remarks she had carefully prepared in advance.

Miss Leng’s given name was Yi. She was not a descendant of Leng Yun, but his grandniece, around twenty years of age — indeed at the age for marriage.

After exchanging greetings, Zhù Ying looked her over and asked: “Once you become a reviewer, what are your intentions?”

Leng Yi said, “Naturally to uphold the law faithfully and adjudicate cases impartially.”

Zhù Ying smiled: “Very good. She wishes to serve as an official — not to use a handsome title as a dowry.” She still remembered the business of selecting female administrative deputies back in the day.

“Will you not examine me, my lord?”

“The Madam has already examined you — what is left for me to examine? Nevertheless, you will still need to sit for the formal examination.”

“Yes, I am willing! I have been wanting to test my skills!”

Her mother and maternal aunt were both very pleased: “This is wonderful — she can remain at home!” They both expressed their thanks to Zhù Ying.

Zhù Ying said, “I should be the one thanking you — for raising such a fine young woman.”

There are things that seem difficult before one begins them, causing a person to shrink back and refuse to try. But once truly undertaken, one discovers they are not so difficult after all.

For example, the question of female officials’ status — how they should stand when attending court, and so forth. When it was actually brought up for discussion, it was found that Zhù Ying had long since smoothed the path. And no one had dared to try to drive her out.

“With sixty years of building and maneuvering, three thousand armored soldiers, and forty thousand palace guards — do you think these are just for show?” Zhù Ying said with a laugh to Yue Miaojun.

Yue Miaojun was slightly startled.

Zhù Ying laughed even more happily. If anyone dared to scheme against her, then there would be nothing left for any of them to do.

Fortunately, no one fool enough to rush toward death had yet appeared. Zhù Ying had transferred the grandson of her former superior to the position of Deputy Prefect of the Capital. Though the junior Luo certainly understood this was the sort of thing that commonly happened in officialdom, why did it have to be you specifically? Why should it be you? Zhù Ying had no shortage of superiors, and their sons and grandsons were likewise not few — so in the end he was still receiving a favor from a woman, and would have to acknowledge it.

Paying respects to this senior female elder, respecting one’s elders — there was no shame in that. Besides, this was truly an excellent position. After the direct superior had suffered a setback and was constrained in his movements, he had delegated many matters to this junior official, making it an excellent opportunity for the Deputy Prefect to demonstrate his capabilities.

He even expressed support for adding a female official beneath the legal bureau. What a trifling matter! Cases involving women were few to begin with, and typically the woman appeared as the victim — and very often was already dead and would need no one to try her case. Leaving her in place like that caused no inconvenience whatsoever.

In the normal course of things, female officials generally formed their own circle and had little contact with male officials. Just having her there was fine enough.

Jiang Zheng was a man who had spent ten years in office in areas of the south thoroughly under the influence of Zhù Ying. He had witnessed far more outrageous things and, while he might not find them to his liking, he had grown accustomed to them. Affairs in the Capital Prefecture had actually proceeded quite smoothly. Even before the Prefectural Governors had left, the results were already visible — it seemed perhaps not so dreadful after all.

The Prefectural Governors departed one after another, resigned to what they saw, and while they were still not all gone, new tidings spread — Prince Qi had died.

“Pining to death,” it was said. He had disowned his birth mother, yet when his birth mother died, he fell into melancholy instead and died in confinement.

The Emperor did not restore his noble rank and wished to inter him with the rites due a commoner. The Prime Ministers persuaded him otherwise, and in the end he was buried with the rites appropriate to a Marquis. Not even the ministers needed to pay their condolences — the Court of State Ceremonial arranged the whole affair.

With this great worry off his mind, the ministers promptly found another matter to press upon the Emperor — the Crown Prince truly needed to begin his education. After the new year he would be seven years old.

The Emperor therefore commanded that Zhù Ying lead the proceedings, with all the Prime Ministers collectively becoming tutors to the Crown Prince, and a few Academicians to be selected to fill out the Eastern Palace staff. The Auspicious Omens Directorate would choose an auspicious date, to take place after the spring’s beginning — a suitably formal ceremony needed to be prepared. The Prime Ministers could add yet another title to their list.

Zhù Ying was not particularly concerned about this additional title. What she was rather pleased about was that Wang Yunzhi, Shi Jinya, and their associates — including Liu Kun’s brothers — had all been kicked out of the capital to eat their fill of hardship in the provinces. They had been appointed to deputy positions, and their direct superiors were persons she herself had carefully selected. Even Wang Shuliang and Shi Jixing had to admit that whatever Zhù Ying chose to do, she had thought it through more thoroughly than either of them.

The superiors were capable, commanding individuals, all around fifty years of age, with abundant experience and strong administrative records; not a single civil disturbance had occurred in any of their jurisdictions. The people’s livelihoods were tolerable, and these men were particularly skilled at keeping young troublemakers in line — they would certainly make these juniors suffer.

It was called tempering and discipline, after all. If the superior were too capable and took care of everything while keeping these young men propped up like clay idols, what could they possibly learn? This was exactly how it should be!

Masterfully chosen!

Wang Yunzhi did not yet know he was headed into hardship. He was genuinely reluctant to leave the Zhù household. The food there may have been poor — this had been remedied later when Yue Miaojun arrived — but one truly did encounter many illuminating things there, and Zhù Ying was never stingy about teaching those around her.

When he left, he shed a few sincere tears, and together with Shi and Liu, received the farewell gifts Zhù Ying had prepared for them. He looked back three times with every step.

Their vacancies were quickly filled. The Zhù household welcomed a new intake of men and women, young and full of energy. They were reserved for no more than three days before they were exchanging banter and laughter with their colleagues.

This had something to do with their backgrounds as well. Among the new officials of the Prime Minister’s residence, there were quite a few from prominent families — especially among the female officials. A girl from a poor family, even with exceptional talent, would find it impossible to acquire learning sufficient to pass the formal examinations through reading alone. Zhù Ying’s own gifts were considerable, yet even she could not have passed examinations relying solely on lessons pilfered from the village schoolhouse — it had required Zheng Xi’s guidance and study focused on key areas.

And so among those ultimately selected were daughters of Zhù Ying’s former subordinates’ families, descendants of former Prime Ministers, and at the very minimum, those from families owning a hundred or more mu of land. Among them were also two widows somewhat older in years — one with children and one without — neither of them from poor backgrounds.

For one’s eligibility to take the official examinations was contingent upon family background, requiring the submission of three generations of paternal ancestry. At present, the matter of examining one’s background credentials was something everyone scrutinized with utmost vigilance.

As spring arrived, everyone changed into lighter spring garments. The young women also rolled up their sleeves and sorted through official documents in their respective categories. Though they had been selected into the Prime Minister’s residence and given official posts, none of them had any experience in actual governance. Following Zhù Ying’s habit, they were first treated as apprentices, and Yue Miaojun was the one guiding them.

On this particular rest day, Yue Miaojun had already gone home early, and Zhù Ying was sitting on the swing, swinging her feet idly. At noon, Yue Miaojun suddenly returned: “Quickly! Come with me to the palace!”

“What is it?”

Yue Miaojun leaned close and whispered: “His Majesty is not well.”