The journey to the Asu tribal territory had been most rewarding for Zhù Ying. The Asu tribe had not put up false fronts for her to see, had not deliberately arranged obviously staged small villages, had not planted people to show overt hostility before her, and had not arranged hollow performances of exaggerated warmth. Everything had been more or less natural.

She had also gained some understanding of the Asu tribal territory’s products. The land was fairly suitable for growing tea. What interested her even more was the mountain climate — at this season the rain was relatively abundant, yet the mountain was colder, which led her to wonder whether some of the crops in her trial plots might be moved up into the mountains to be planted there.

But all that was for later.

The very next day after their late-night conversation, she took her leave of the Asu Cave Master and set out with Zhao Su and the others to return to the county town — arriving three days ahead of her planned schedule. The Asu Cave Master personally escorted her out to just beyond the village gates, saying: “I await your good news.” He reached back and beckoned, and his eldest son led a group out in formation, moving in pairs to carry the crates that Zhù Ying had unloaded at the mountain village.

The Asu Cave Master said: “You came as a guest and brought gifts — the host cannot send you back empty-handed.”

Zhù Ying did not decline, and accepted everything with composure.

The Asu Cave Master said: “The journey back will take a few days and you will pass through the villages. Let him see you back to the county.”

This time it was the eldest son who was sent to escort Zhù Ying back to the county. Zhù Ying said: “Thank you for the trouble.”

The Asu eldest son, with two inches of beard grown in, let his face twitch slightly and said to this young “Uncle”: “A road well-traveled — no trouble at all.”

The group set off.

The return journey was overcast but dry, and without rain it went more smoothly than the outward trip and at a faster pace. Those driving and escorting the carts sometimes had to get down and walk or help push, but those leading at the front felt nothing of the kind, which set the county officers muttering among themselves under their breath.

At the overnight stops, without any need for Zhù Ying to say anything, they had no energy left to wander around anyway. The eldest nephew seemed extremely well acquainted with the chief of this village — the two men embraced on sight. The eldest nephew introduced Zhù Ying to the chief: “This is my father’s new sworn brother.”

The village chief looked at Zhù Ying in surprise. Zhù Ying gave him a nod in return. After that, the banquet was mainly the eldest nephew and the village chief catching up. They were close in age, and it was clear from the conversation that they had been frequently together since childhood. They asked after each other’s families and talked over everything that had happened since they had last met a month ago.

Zhao Su wanted to say something. Zhù Ying gave him a look. He fell quiet and ate his meal in peace. Zhù Ying herself put in the occasional word or two. The eldest nephew was very much taken with her technique of loose consecutive arrows. Zhù Ying said: “That is nothing special on my part — seeing someone truly dedicated to archery in the capital is what you would call impressive.” She offered no demonstration.

The eldest nephew had been told by his father not to push, and dared not press the matter.

By the following evening, the group had finally arrived at the western township. Everyone let out a sigh of relief. The eldest nephew, seeing his aunt, was overjoyed.

Zhao Feng came hurrying out to meet Zhù Ying: “My Lord is back at last! If you had not returned, Deputy Magistrate Guan was going to eat me alive!”

Zhù Ying said: “He’s not that fierce, is he?”

Zhao Feng shook his head: “You don’t know the half of it.” He then glanced at the returned carts and, judging by their appearance, estimated that the discussions had gone well. He looked at his son, and before father and son could exchange a word, Zhao Niangzi had already called out loudly: “So there’s another sworn brother now?!”

The eldest nephew cleared his throat: “Yes. Father asked me to escort Uncle back down the mountain.”

Zhao Niangzi said: “What wonderful news! Come!”

Before she even realized it, Zhù Ying had gained an “Elder Sister.” This elder sister hosted her in the western township for another extra day before she returned to the county.

——

Zhù Ying had been away from the county town for over half a month. The entire county had known of her departure from the very start, and the progression from surprise to worry had taken no more than three days. Thereafter, everyone had been waiting for her return.

She had barely left the western township when people working in the fields caught sight of her and called out: “My Lord is back!”

Those with quick legs had run back to the village to spread the word ahead of her. The news traveled station by station, faster than she could ride. Before she even reached the county town, Deputy Magistrate Guan had already received word. Confirmed, the great weight in his chest finally dropped — and without thinking, he smiled.

Xiao Wu, sharp and quick as always, heard the news and slipped back to the rear residence: “Madam! My Lord is back!”

The rear residence erupted in happiness.

By the time Zhù Ying reached the county town, villagers had already come out of the city to watch her return — a warmer reception than any of the times she had gone out before. Seeing this, Zhù Ying dismounted and asked: “Has anything happened in the county while I was away?” The person crowded in at the front nearly burst into tears: “My Lord — please, no more going out alone and risking yourself like this for so long!”

Zhù Ying gave an immediate promise: “Agreed.”

“Truly?”

“Truly.”

The crowd cheered.

She had done everything she needed to do that required going out. Now there was only a trip to the provincial city at the end of the sixth month. Everything else could be managed from within the county. The promise was not a lie.

Zhù Ying said to Zhao Su: “You go on ahead. Draft that document, and bring it to the office in a couple of days for me to review.”

Zhao Su had already drafted memorials on the Asu Cave Master’s behalf before. This time he felt well-prepared, and said: “Yes.” This memorial’s theme was still the trading market, not “submission to the court” — this was what Zhù Ying and the Asu Cave Master had agreed on: one step at a time.

Zhù Ying returned to the county office alone. She had gone just as she had come, and returned bringing gifts — a sight the county office had not seen in several decades. Previous county magistrates, including County Magistrate Wang, had not failed to think about easing tensions with the Asu tribe, yet had never succeeded. It had taken Zhù Ying to make it happen.

Deputy Magistrate Guan and Registrar Mo and the others showered her with flattery without restraint: “In all these years, not one county magistrate has been as shrewd and capable as my Lord!”

Zhù Ying said: “It is entirely because all of you are reliable that I could leave with an easy mind.”

They traded compliments for a while, and then Deputy Magistrate Guan wanted to go over the county affairs. Zhù Ying said: “Can I not trust you to handle things? We can discuss it tomorrow. Everyone rest today.” A half-day holiday — and the entire county office immediately cheered up.

Zhù Ying hurried back to the rear residence and was surrounded again by the household, who all looked her over. Zhang Xiangu, seeing her returned whole and unharmed, made no more complaints and only urged her to bathe and change her clothes: “You’re starting to smell!”

Zhù Ying sniffed herself: “Where? The mountain was quite cool up there. Oh, I’ve brought some things back — come have a look.”

She went back to her room to bathe and change, then came out in a fresh robe to find them all looking over the mountain village goods she had brought back. Mountain delicacies predominated. Zhang Xiangu said: “Oh my, these would cost a fortune in the capital…”

Zhù Ying thought: in the capital you would have to factor in transport costs — these things are not so expensive at their place of origin. She too leaned in to take a look: various types of mushrooms and fungi, local cloth, and a complete set of silver ornaments. Huajie opened a box and exclaimed in surprise: “Cinnabar!”

Zhù Ying said: “Take it if you can use it.”

The mountains held treasures. But during her days in the village, she had seen no mining operations. According to the villagers, those mineral deposits were also quite far from the village, and transportation was difficult.

Zhù Ying looked over the things she had brought back. She kept some at home and distributed a portion of the rest to the county office staff. That evening she began writing her memorial.

Her memorial described in detail everything she had seen and heard during those days — she listed out some of the Asu family’s products and noted which were from direct observation and which were from hearsay.

Next she wrote about the benefits of establishing good relations with the Qixia tribe — the county could focus peacefully on encouraging farming and mulberry cultivation. She then wrote out her detailed plan for opening the trading market: where to set up the site, how often to operate it. The scale need not be large at present — once a month, with the county office dispatching people to oversee it. The rough types of goods, and what the mountains produced that the lowlands also needed.

She laid out her case clearly to the Council of State: the trading market could be opened.

On the third day, Zhao Su brought over the draft he had finished for Zhù Ying’s review — written, as before, in the voice of the Asu Cave Master. Zhù Ying read it, pointed out a few lines to be adjusted slightly, and had him copy it out cleanly.

When Zhao Su brought the clean copy back, Zhù Ying asked: “Are you still willing to make frequent trips to your uncle’s?”

Zhao Su straightened slightly and said: “I await whatever Adoptive Father instructs.”

Zhù Ying said: “Sit.”

Zhao Su sat down. Zhù Ying said: “Before, I did not arrange things with you because I only knew your father’s side. Now that I have met your mother’s side as well, it is time to have a proper conversation with you.”

Zhao Su said: “Yes.”

Zhù Ying said: “You enjoy advantages from both sides and suffer costs from both sides. You have chosen to trap yourself in the middle — and a person stuck in the middle forever will be a cramped and miserable person all their life. You need to step out from the middle and get a higher view. Once you do, the world opens wide. If you carry inhibitions, others must accommodate your inhibitions, and many things will have no bearing on you whatsoever.”

Zhao Su said: “In the past, I had no chance to step out.”

Zhù Ying gave a nod: “And now? Can you see past it?”

Zhao Su smiled slightly: “With Adoptive Father’s generosity, there is nothing I cannot see past.”

Zhù Ying said: “Very good. Your uncle’s family — how do you see it?”

Zhao Su said: “Uncle has already set his sights on Little Cousin. Both Uncle and Little Cousin have ambition — they are not content with things as they are. For the brothers to take over the household would not be impossible, but they are too mediocre.”

Zhù Ying said: “Once this petition is submitted, the court will most likely approve it. What comes next?”

Zhao Su said, hesitantly: “Formal submission?”

Zhù Ying shook her head: “First, have the court establish the name and title. The Qixia tribe is divided among several families — the first to move will have the advantage. Once the trading market is established, you go to your uncle’s and tell him this good news. Who doesn’t love hearing good news? And go on to tell him about the formal submission as well. Besides heaven-bestowed gifts, all things people accomplish are forged through practice. Take advantage of the fact that your uncle’s household is easy to talk to right now, and practice your hand first.”

“Yes. I will see that things are properly handled.”

“I have not finished. Tell your uncle to prepare some tribute offerings. When changing one’s formal status, of course one must prepare gifts. There is no rush on this — think it through first and figure out how you will present it.”

“Yes.”

“Do you still wish to pursue the examination path?”

Zhao Su said: “If I want to go further, the route through the official schools and examinations is the better one.”

“Very good,” Zhù Ying said. “Spend two more years working diligently on your essays. I will send your essays to the capital and have someone there give their assessment.”

A flash of joy crossed Zhao Su’s face and was gone: “Thank you, Adoptive Father!”

——

Zhù Ying sent both memorials and several private letters all together to the capital. Then she issued several more official dispatches, on a separate matter — stationing troops.

When a place has a proper official garrison, it is for the most part surely safer, and soldiers with a little money will also buy things locally, which only enriches the area. Of course, if military discipline is poor, a garrison becomes a local menace. And stationed troops also have officers, who carry official rank — how to manage that relationship would also be its own complication.

Zhù Ying turned it over many times and still submitted a request to station a small contingent of troops in Fuluo County.

This was because Fuluo County had long been a place for receiving convicts under sentence of exile, and now that it had resumed accepting them, it was impossible for the stream of people to consist solely of orderly clan-dispute cases, unlucky good Samaritans, or pitiable souls who had accidentally killed someone… The convict camp needed to be near the soldiers’ camp for there to be adequate supervision.

Furthermore, with the trading market between the county and the Qixia tribe now open, the Asu family was well enough, but once the way was opened, other tribes would surely follow. And those tribes had their own mutual enmities — when fighting broke out, the county office alone, with its handful of people, could probably not contain the situation.

The dispatches went out, and the first to receive approval was permission to station troops.

Fuluo County had once maintained a small permanent garrison, and for now this was simply a matter of “restoring prior practice.” A military officer at the rank of Company Commander would lead a hundred or so men distributed to Fuluo County. They were already stationed in the Southern Prefecture — reportedly the Southern Prefecture garrison numbered a thousand, so sparing a hundred for her was not particularly generous, but it was passable.

A hundred men would be sufficient for daily maintenance. In an actual battle, the whole county would be called upon to conscript — one in three men of fighting age, or two in five — and based on clans and fellow locals as the organizing unit, leaders would be selected at each level. These hundred men would form the backbone. Given Fuluo County’s population, a temporary force of several thousand up to ten thousand men could be assembled when needed. But asking a county to permanently maintain ten thousand able-bodied men would drain any county dry, so in peacetime they were all dispersed, and daily security depended on the garrison.

Prefectures and provinces operated the same way. Theoretically, able-bodied men should also train during the slack agricultural season, but many places had quietly dropped that step.

Since she had also sent a letter directly to the Southern Prefecture superior, that superior had the good sense to include a reminder in the official document: prepare suitable farmland for the stationed troops!

Zhù Ying received the document and thought to herself: so that’s where the trap is.

She summoned Deputy Magistrate Guan and pointed at the document: “What is this about?”

Deputy Magistrate Guan said: “My Lord, why did you think to invite this lot back here? We had finally managed to get rid of them!”

Zhù Ying said: “I asked you what this is about.”

Deputy Magistrate Guan said: “Oh heavens, if they have poor discipline — drinking, gambling, fighting, harassing women — they would be worse than bandits!”

“The farmland — what is that about?”

“You don’t know? Some of these men have families to feed, and given how remote the location is with difficult supply lines, sustaining so many people beyond what headquarters provides means they also get orders to receive local farmland and grow their own food. When troops were stationed here before, they had farmland too. When they pulled out, not only did the barracks fall to ruin — so did the farmland.”

“Fell to ruin? That works too — how much land is there? Just tell them to clear it again. They will bring along some army provisions anyway.”

Deputy Magistrate Guan fell silent. After repeated prompting, he finally said: “It went back to waste.”

Zhù Ying understood what this meant. Someone had declared the land abandoned after the people who farmed it had genuinely left, calling it wasteland. Then they had claimed to be clearing new wasteland — meaning the land now belonged to them, with several years’ exemption from rent and taxes. In other words, they had eaten from both ends. No wonder no one had mentioned this to her, even after convicts started arriving. She had never been informed!

A hundred men, five acres per person, came to five hundred acres — the holdings of a small landowner. No wonder no one had brought it up!

Deputy Magistrate Guan felt Zhù Ying staring at him without speaking, and broke out in a cold sweat. He said to Zhù Ying: “My Lord, perhaps — give them another piece of land and let them clear it. They are all able-bodied men, after all…”

“And who cleared the original waste?”

Deputy Magistrate Guan went pale. Who had cleared it? He had too — holding it under the name of a county office clerk, nominally the clerk’s cleared land, but with a share going to him. Each year the clerk collected the rent and paid him the greater portion. When he retired, the land would be sold at fair price to the clerk, who would then be a landholder of some standing. This was one of the ways many clerks built up family wealth.

Besides Deputy Magistrate Guan, Registrar Mo, who was close to him, had done the same thing. Beyond them, four county gentry families had also paid some bribes and received several tens to over a hundred acres each. Six people in total had been involved. But because the land was not counted as county property, when Zhù Ying had ordered them to make voluntary disclosure, not one of them had mentioned it. And who would have thought this matter would be dug up again now?

Zhù Ying said: “It seems you have something to answer for here. Will you speak now, or wait until the garrison arrives and the matter surfaces, and I have you all bound and hacked to pieces by them? Well?”

Deputy Magistrate Guan’s legs gave way beneath him and he knelt, saying: “This subordinate was consumed by greed, accepted certain benefits, and allocated land to them.”

He did not confess to his own involvement, but named the proxy-holding clerk and the gentry families who had obtained land through him. This matter could not be gotten around — the county land register had been updated, but military records were beyond his reach, and he had no choice but to come clean.

Zhù Ying said: “Bring them all.”

Deputy Magistrate Guan said hastily: “I’ll go summon them at once!”

Zhù Ying said nothing, her eyes fixed steadily on Deputy Magistrate Guan. He felt those eyes on him — cold and glassy, wholly unlike those of any normal human being. His upper and lower teeth chattered together. He gritted his teeth and said: “This subordinate—”

“Colluding to get your stories straight? Xiao Wu — you go!”

——

Seven people came in all. Since Deputy Magistrate Guan and Registrar Mo had used proxies, and Guan had not named Mo, Mo was lurking outside listening. Because Zhù Ying had acted as county administrator before she arrived and he was unavoidably implicated, Deputy Magistrate Guan could not hide — he had to appear. The two proxies who had been used happened to both be at the county office that day, diligently reporting for duty as always.

The four gentry figures were all familiar faces — one of them was Elder Gu.

None of them had expected that just as relations with the new county magistrate were improving, an old account would surface again. They were all somewhat rattled.

Zhù Ying said nothing at first. Unable to hold themselves together, one by one they all knelt, and without waiting to be called out, each began to weep and confess. The county clerks dared not offend any level of superior, and could not name the Deputy Magistrate and Registrar. They could only admit to their own guilt: “Greed clouded my judgment and I wrongfully seized this piece of wasteland.” They stuck stubbornly to the word “wasteland.”

Zhù Ying knew these people’s oily slipperiness. They had their practical abilities — otherwise they could not have survived — but their talent for digging traps was even greater!

She said: “Wasteland? Very well. How many years did it take you to clear it? Six years? I’ll give you another piece of wasteland. If you don’t clear it, I’ll have you beaten to death. Well?”

Deputy Magistrate Guan kicked the man to one side and knelt before Zhù Ying: “My Lord, please do not lower yourself to argue with such treacherous petty clerks.”

Elder Gu was also somewhat rattled, and said quietly: “This old man has no face left to show my Lord!”

Zhù Ying had already read the situation clearly, and said deliberately: “Are you calculating by land value, or are you paying a fine?”

The weeping stopped abruptly. Tear-streaked faces lifted to look at Zhù Ying. Zhù Ying said: “You cannot simply take my land without paying, can you?”

Deputy Magistrate Guan’s heart gave a surge of relief. Zhù Ying’s gaze swept to him: “Doing what you did is a crime — stripping the official robe off those who should lose it, exile for those who should be exiled. And you still have delusions?”

Deputy Magistrate Guan’s heart went cold. This truly was an offense against the law; if things were dug further, there was more than just losing the official robe. Decades of busy toiling, and in the end he would be demoted to a commoner? Deputy Magistrate Guan wept with complete sincerity this time, knocking his head against the floor with resounding thuds: “My Lord, my Lord, I know I was wrong!”

The others, seeing him like this, were thoroughly frightened, and also remembered what this recently quite amiable superior had done when she first arrived in Fuluo County. They all kowtowed and begged for mercy.

Zhù Ying said: “Calculated by land value, or paid as rent?”

Elder Gu too was frightened, and said: “Entirely at my Lord’s discretion.”

Zhù Ying said: “Bring paper and brush! One sheet each — write! No consulting each other!”

She had each of them write down how much land they had taken. Everyone feared both her and being caught out by others’ accounts, and had no choice but to write the actual figure. Zhù Ying looked them over and laughed: “Six hundred acres, divided up this way?” As it turned out, the land in question was a little over six hundred acres. Six people had split it among themselves.

Zhù Ying dispensed with formalities. First she confiscated the two clerks’ holdings back to public ownership. Each clerk received twenty strokes of the heavy rod and was dismissed from the county office, forbidden from ever serving there again. Two replacements would be selected. Before handing over their duties, they would stand in the cangue outside the county office for three days.

After dealing with them, Zhù Ying said to the gentry: “Is it that I lack credibility, or that I have not governed well enough these past two years? You chose not to be truthful with me. I am very disappointed.”

Elder Gu wept most piteously and kept apologizing. Zhù Ying said: “You are all respected elders and gentry of this county. Why resort to this? Offering bribes is a crime. Wrongfully occupying public land is also a crime. And then concealing it?”

Elder Gu and the others shuffled forward on their knees: “We know we are in the wrong! My Lord, please show mercy!”

“Pay in land value, or pay rent?” Zhù Ying asked.

The weeping died away again. Elder Gu, head muddled from all the crying, raised his head, thought for a moment, and understood: “My Lord? I am willing to — pay the land value…”

Land was finite. Even with money, one could not always buy such land — let alone a contiguous block in a single piece!

Zhù Ying said: “Registrar Qi.”

Qi Tai shuffled forward, half-dead, clutching his account ledger: “My Lord.”

“Calculate.”

Elder Gu and the others slumped. Qi Tai stared at them blankly for a moment, then began calculating and reported a figure to the four of them. Elder Gu mentally did the arithmetic: not an inflated price.

He relaxed completely, slumping with perfect peace of mind.

After the accounting was done, Qi Tai said: “Get up and go fetch the money.”

They were all fairly familiar with him by now. Elder Gu said: “Registrar Qi is still the same — exact and precise.”

“I keep accounts,” Qi Tai said.

Elder Gu wiped his face, bowed properly to Zhù Ying: “My Lord, I am overcome with shame. I will go and bring the money at once.”

Zhù Ying waved her hand, without speaking.

Elder Gu felt rather unsettled. This time he had not gotten a full advantage out of the situation, and had to give some back. He truly felt it was a loss. He also wished Zhù Ying would get a promotion and leave soon. Before walking out of the county office, he stopped to straighten his robes and splashed some water on his face. An officer with a little kindness took him to wash up. The other gentry figures did the same in turn — each of them tidied themselves up neatly before filing out of the county office as though nothing had happened.

Outside the county office, the cangue, absent for so long, had reappeared. The two clerks, having taken their twenty strokes, were being gawked at by a gathering crowd who whispered to each other about what crime they had committed. Those who recognized Elder Gu saw him striding grandly out of the county office and came to bow and ask. Elder Gu looked at the two clerks in the cangue and felt a jolt of alarm. Not daring to think too much, he said: “Look at the notice posted by the county office and you’ll know.”

Shortly afterward, the money was paid, and the county office had issued its receipt. His hundred acres were now above board. He put the land deed into its box. His wife pressed him: “Why did you hand over so much money?” He said: “Don’t ask. Don’t ask!”

His wife guessed and guessed and could not work it out, and pressed him again. Elder Gu suddenly exploded in fury: “Am I still the one in charge of this household or not?!”

His wife received a tremendous fright, and the two of them erupted into a quarrel: “I bore your children and managed this household, we have grown children and grandchildren to show for it — and this is how you treat me?”

Elder Gu was furious beyond words. He locked himself in his room and refused to come out no matter who called. He turned things over in his mind: with a county magistrate like this, was it worthwhile in the end, or not? He had half a mind to get the local gentry together and put up some resistance, but then his nerve failed him. Not doing something about it felt suffocating.

Then he found himself wondering: this county magistrate, what was really going on in her mind? Did she truly regard the gentry as important, or was she trying to suppress the powerful families?

——

Elder Gu could not see through Zhù Ying. Right now Deputy Magistrate Guan, standing before Zhù Ying, could not see through her either.

Zhù Ying finished handling the land matter, and neither said he could go nor said he could not. He did not know that with the two shares confiscated back and the other four sold off, Zhù Ying now had a way to deal with the garrison. He was a grown man of some age, standing before Zhù Ying under informal punishment, and not daring to complain.

It was only when the workday ended that Zhù Ying said: “The day’s work is done — why are you still here?”

Deputy Magistrate Guan said: “The day’s work was not over just now. This subordinate should have been in the office.”

“Ah, then go.” The expressions on those two clerks just now had told Zhù Ying that one of them had a connection to Deputy Magistrate Guan. She had deliberately kept him standing there.

The next day she issued further orders: the stone quarry was to prepare stone, and labor service was to be called up to prepare timber and the like — construction of barracks was to begin. A garrison was still needed, and the convicts still needed someone to keep watch over them. When the trading market was established in the future, its order would also need to be maintained. Moreover, two clerks were now short — the document board was to go up again to recruit clerks. Recruitment would still follow the rules she had established before: literate, but with no openly deep ties to the major clans.

The document had barely been issued when the drum at the front of the county office was struck!

After the two clerks were dismissed, more citizens came forward to report complaints. With those two no longer wielding their influence inside the county office, even more people dared to file reports. Then the wives of these two men came to accuse Deputy Magistrate Guan’s household manager, alleging that this household manager had extorted them.

Zhù Ying turned the complaint document over in her fingers. Citizens accusing officials themselves required suffering a beating, but accusing an official’s household manager was perfectly acceptable. The content was sharply framed — it named the clerks as having held the land on the household manager’s behalf, pointing through the household manager to accuse Deputy Magistrate Guan. Registrar Mo’s situation was analogous.

Zhù Ying received the complaint documents, had the household manager brought in — and the household manager proceeded to insist that everything had been done on his own initiative. Zhù Ying understood: this household manager was Guan’s family bondservant. Bond servants could not file accusations against their masters. She sighed. She knew perfectly well these two men had used proxies. But Deputy Magistrate Guan and Registrar Mo were officials, and forcibly punishing them was within her power — but other penalties still required going through the court. And there was no hard evidence. She could only visibly overlook it for now. That said, she had no intention of letting Deputy Magistrate Guan and Registrar Mo off lightly. She cut off their allowances and supplements for the year.

Deputy Magistrate Guan and Registrar Mo said not a word.

Zhù Ying paid them no further mind. She could finally turn to the matter of dealing with the incoming garrison.

——

Before the garrison arrived, her memorials had also received their approvals.

The Emperor read the memorials and was in good spirits, praised her with a few words, approved her request, and directed the Council of State to deliberate. The Council found it entirely appropriate. All three of the councillors were seasoned old hands — seeing that she had first requested trade, then proposed a trading market, and had delicately hinted in her document at further steps to come, they told her to press on: one step further would be even better.

Zhù Ying received the dispatch and smiled knowingly. She called for Zhao Su: “This is your matter now. Go make a trip up — tell your uncle the good news. Who doesn’t love hearing good news?”

Zhao Su asked: “Should I say anything else to Uncle while I’m there?”

Zhù Ying said: “Once the trading market is established, we speak to the next matter.”

“Yes.”

Zhù Ying also asked: “Would setting up the trading market affect your father?”

Zhao Su said: “My family at home cannot absorb this volume of business.”

“Understood. Don’t worry — I won’t let him lose out. Go.”

The most troublesome part of establishing a trading market was obtaining “permission.” Once permission was granted, Zhù Ying found none of the rest particularly daunting. She knew what the Asu family produced and what Fuluo County had to offer. In the western township, a piece of open land was staked out, leveled, and enclosed with a rough wooden palisade. Inside, stalls were sectioned off — simple planks of wood nailed together, each given a number.

At the center, a set of scales was erected, along with standard measuring vessels and weights — all items of officially promulgated standard calibration.

County town merchants, after registering their names, would travel as a group to the trading market. The trading market would not collect taxes from the Asu family, but would levy a transaction tax on the merchants. Once they had paid the tax, the goods they obtained could be sold freely back in the county.

The county office dispatched officers and market supervisors. Zhù Ying instructed Zhao Feng, Lei Bao, and a few others to remain at the trading market and help assess fair prices, working together with the supervisors to maintain order. The market would be open for three days, then close, reopening at the beginning of the following month.

Both the Asu Cave Master and Zhù Ying personally attended the first exchange. The Asu Cave Master, since his family were not taxed, said with a laugh: “Brother, you’re really a good friend to us!”

Zhù Ying thought: they will factor this tax back into the trade prices anyway. But aloud she only said: “The court’s approval was what made it possible.”

In this first round of trading, the goods were not particularly plentiful — both sides were feeling each other out. Prices were also not very stable. Some items were high on the first day and fell on the second; others were cheap on the first day and more expensive on the second.

After three days, both sides returned to their respective homes.

After Zhù Ying returned to the county office, she sent Zhao Su back up the mountain to discuss with the Asu Cave Master the matter of “submitting to the court and receiving a formal title.” The word “submitting” had not originally come up, but Zhù Ying this time instructed Zhao Su to explain to the Asu Cave Master that “an imperial appointment is for subjects; one must first acknowledge sovereignty before requesting a title.” Zhao Su, having grown up on the classics and the sages, found submitting to the court entirely natural, and had no objection whatsoever. He accepted the instructions and headed up the mountain.

She herself then received an official document.

This document was different from all the ones she had received before. It was an official communication from the military, informing her that a Captain Ding would lead a hundred men to be stationed in Fuluo County. They would arrive before long, and Fuluo County was requested to have a designated area prepared for their encampment.

——

Upon receiving the document, Zhù Ying first asked how the stone quarrying and timber preparation were proceeding, and learning that preparations were underway, she went herself to survey the area outside the city, designating a stretch of wasteland next to the convict camp for use as the encampment site.

On the day Captain Ding arrived, Zhù Ying brought the county’s officials and gentry to receive them.

Captain Ding was riding a tall horse. Looking ahead, he unexpectedly caught sight of an even finer horse in the welcoming party. He thought to himself: I heard this county magistrate has some connections — and so it really is true!

The two groups drew closer. Captain Ding found himself stealing glances at the horse more and more, and managed something of a fist-over-palm salute to Zhù Ying. He was an eighth-rank company commander; Zhù Ying was a sixth-rank official, also outranking him in actual position. His spirits sank further: this young fellow looks young, and yet has already risen this high.

Zhù Ying looked over Captain Ding — he had the proper bearing of a genuine military officer. Looking at the soldiers behind him, they were also a sturdy lot, none of the old and infirm. In her mind she was fairly satisfied. Comparing them to the imperial guards was out of the question, but the imperial guards had far better origins and treatment — she could hardly provide these men with treatment equal to the imperial guards’. No one was in a position to find fault with the other.

Zhù Ying said: “The whole county has been looking forward to your arrival.”

Captain Ding said: “Duty requires it.”

Before Deputy Magistrate Guan and the others could add their round of flattery, Captain Ding said: “My Lord, now that is a fine horse!”

Zhù Ying said: “I don’t know much about horses myself. Lord Zheng said it was good and gave it to me.”

Captain Ding stumbled: “Lord — Lord Zheng? The one in the capital?”

“Yes.”

Captain Ding had harbored the faint hope of riding or borrowing the horse — that hope now extinguished entirely. He could only exclaim again and again: “No wonder, no wonder.” He then looked at the blade Zhù Ying wore at her side. He could not see inside the scabbard, but the scabbard itself was of fine quality. He thought to himself: she really does know how to be born into the right circumstances!

Zhù Ying did not know she had been filed by Captain Ding in the category of spoiled idlers from wealthy families, and continued smiling: “A welcoming banquet has been prepared. Let the men get settled in their quarters first, and then come to the office for a drink — how does that sound?”

Captain Ding said: “Excellent!”

The encampment was thoroughly rough — Captain Ding had expected as much. In general, large troop deployments other than city defense did not all crowd into the city. Officers might have quarters in the city, but the encampment was outside the city. They were also tasked with watching over convict laborers and overseeing sites such as the stone quarry where hard labor was performed — a further reason they could not live within the city walls.

The encampment had already been staked out by a palisade, the ground roughly leveled, and stone and timber stacked in orderly piles. Captain Ding looked it over and said with a smile: “My Lord has thought of everything — this shows you care about us.”

Zhù Ying said: “That over there is the convict camp — already mostly built. As for this side, how to build the barracks I don’t know the first thing about. I could only prepare the materials. You look it over and decide. Is the space adequate?”

“More than enough!” In the countryside, there was truly more than enough room!

Zhù Ying said: “There’s also the farmland. People all pulled out before, and the land went to waste. I am afraid you will just have to clear it again.”

Captain Ding’s face showed a look of displeasure. The soldiers behind him who had heard this also stirred with a little resentment. They had come a long way. No barracks to move into — that was normal, and they could put up tents for the time being. Stone and timber had been prepared for them — they were thinking this county magistrate had some sense. And now she was telling them to clear wasteland on their own?

Captain Ding said: “That’s not very fair, is it?”

Zhù Ying said: “I have not finished. I should say it all clearly, or you won’t be in the mood to drink. Now then — what month is it? It is already past the spring planting season. Even if you wanted to plant something this year, it would not be possible. I see you have also brought some grain rations. Very well: five acres per person. You clear the land, and no matter what you plant, no matter how good the harvest, I will not interfere — and taxes will not be levied on you. When the county is organizing waterway maintenance, if the work should pass through your land, it will pass through your land. You are here at my invitation — I cannot leave you sitting on wasteland like this. Ten draft oxen, ten plows — I will provide them to you in the spring. You have more than enough able-bodied men — clearing land will not be a problem.

Of course, wasteland does not feed people right away. I will pay each of you a monthly supplement according to your rank.”

Captain Ding had been resentful on behalf of Lord Zheng’s horse up to this point, but the mention of oxen and plows improved his mood, and when he heard about the supplement, his spirits lifted: “What are the terms?”

“Wasteland converted to cultivated land — we calculate over ten years. I have made it a standing practice according to rank, with a monthly payment in coin.” She had planned this out long ago — it was precisely why she had squeezed so much land-value money out of Elder Gu and the others. Common soldiers would receive one hundred to two hundred coins per month, the squad leaders a little more, the platoon leaders more still, up to Captain Ding himself. Paid regularly each month.

Zhù Ying said: “While I am in the post of county magistrate, I have the time to see it through. For now we run with this arrangement. If I am transferred away, before I leave I will make proper arrangements for you as well — what do you think?”

The soldiers below stopped their resentment. Captain Ding thought: get the money first, and worry about the rest later. The rice from farming would also need to be sold for coin, and would not be worth much anyway.

By rank, the commander naturally got the most — and Captain Ding was inwardly satisfied with that.

He laughed: “Agreed! Lads — set up the camp!” He took a few of his close attendants and went with Zhù Ying into the city for the welcoming drink.