Wuzhou was truly a “newly established” place — its affairs were a tangled thousand loose ends, and Zhù Ying could not simply abandon the prefectural matters to go into the mountains. After distributing the various duties, she did not leave the city but instead stayed in the Prefect’s residence for several more days, observing each day how the tasks she had assigned were being carried out and making adjustments whenever problems arose.

The staff of the Prefect’s residence, seeing her calm and untroubled as ever, set their own minds at ease and steadied themselves. Qi Tai was the most composed of all — he seemed to have a natural imperviousness to the outside world. After tallying the tax figures and reaching the conclusion that “revenue is slightly less than before, though not by a great deal,” he brought the account books to Zhù Ying.

Qi Tai’s accounts were done with admirable clarity. Although the old four counties of Nanfu had also been required to support one layer of prefectural officials, that cost had been shared with other prefectures. Now with only three counties remaining, yet expected to support an entire state’s worth of officials, the financial pressure was considerable — because the tribute counties under loose imperial administration provided only token tax revenues and could not be relied upon, while the state’s officials were both more numerous and of higher rank than a prefecture’s, meaning expenses were correspondingly greater.

Qi Tai said: “Fortunately, the officials under loose administration need not be paid salaries by the court.”

Zhù Ying looked it over. Since the annual shortfall was not too severe, she made no changes to the existing tax collection budget, and simply instructed Qi Tai to set aside whatever surplus remained each year. Salaries might not be issued, but supplementary allowances still had to be given.

Qi Tai said: “We will also need to requisition more paper.”

Zhù Ying said: “Just tell Xiao Wu and the others.”

Qi Tai replied with characteristic rigidity: “This time the quantity needed is especially large — we must transcribe all the household registers from scratch, which is a considerable undertaking.”

Zhù Ying said: “Write a formal memorandum and I will approve it.”

Qi Tai went off happily. Before long, it was Xiao Wu who came to find Zhù Ying: “My lord, Master Qi wishes to requisition paper.”

“Just give it to him.”

“He is asking for far too much. If we give him everything in the storeroom, there will be nothing left for other uses.” Xiao Wu said.

Zhù Ying said: “He cannot possibly use it all at once. Give it to him in batches.”

Xiao Wu smiled apologetically: “That is what I thought as well, so I said to him: since it cannot all be done in one go, I will give you a batch every ten days. That way we also have time to source more paper elsewhere. Then he said he must have all of his allocation first — but every department in this residence needs replenishing right now. There’s also the gazetteer to be compiled, which also requires paper and ink. The paper mill’s output isn’t of sufficient quality, and purchasing from outside takes time…”

Zhù Ying said: “Xiao Huang, please ask Commissioner Peng and Director Qi both to come here.”

Xiao Wu quickly said: “My lord, let me think of a solution first!”

Zhù Ying’s finger pointed at him from across the room without recalling Xiao Huang. Xiao Wu had no choice but to stand there with a pained expression until Commissioner Peng and Qi Tai arrived. Qi Tai, whenever he was before Zhù Ying, always had a great deal to say — and he never quarreled with others, simply looking at Zhù Ying and speaking: “My lord, what I am handling is important business! There is nothing more serious in this entire prefecture!”

Commissioner Peng immediately said: “My lord, the paper mill simply cannot produce this much paper in a short time! Making paper is a time-consuming process, and producing good writing paper requires good materials. What folk commonly call ‘crude papermaking’ — using old fishing nets and rotted rice straw — yields paper entirely unsuitable for our purposes. To source materials and then soak them takes a great deal of time.”

Xiao Wu said: “I have already arranged to purchase from outside, but it cannot be done immediately.”

Zhù Ying asked Qi Tai: “How much paper do you need?”

Qi Tai said: “For re-drafting the household registers, we will need at least double the usual amount — and after revision, copies must be sent to the Ministry of Revenue. The individual counties will also need their own copies.”

Purchasing in bulk would mean a substantial expenditure. It would be better to have a paper mill and produce it themselves. Zhù Ying said: “Let us go see the paper mill.”

Their party set off immediately. The old Nanfu had always maintained workshops of various kinds — blacksmiths, carpenters, stonemasons, and other common craftsmen. The paper mill was no exception, and was staffed by a fair number of workers, including six skilled papermakers.

A white-haired old master craftsman was directing his apprentices by the edge of a large vat: “The weather has turned cold — it needs to soak a few more days.”

Commissioner Peng gave a cough. The old master looked up, quickly wiped his hands on his worn apron, and bowed forward toward Commissioner Peng: “Greetings, my lord.”

Commissioner Peng said: “You have not yet paid your respects to the Prefect?”

Only then did the old master notice Zhù Ying, who was not wearing official robes but a simple blue silk and sheepskin robe. She said to him: “You are a man of years — no need to bow. We have come to have a look around.”

The old master felt a mix of nervousness, awe, and a small flush of delight at the sight of the Prefect. He said: “We are all working hard!” Working here was quite good — the requisitions were modest, and one was even allowed to do some work for oneself on the side. Because the Prefect was a good person, the officials below dared not extort anyone either; as long as you offered them a modest amount of tea money from time to time, one could live very peacefully.

Zhù Ying asked: “What is your honored surname, Elder?”

The old master waved his hands repeatedly: “Nothing honored about it…”

Commissioner Peng said: “His surname is Wu. His full name is Wu Shier.”

Zhù Ying said: “Ah, so you are Master Wu.”

“I dare not claim such a title.”

Zhù Ying said: “Shall we talk while we look around?”

“Of course!”

Zhù Ying adopted the same manner she had used when telling fortunes for money — warm and easy-going — and chatted with Master Wu, starting with questions about his age and working through his ancestry, neighbors, and anyone else she could think of. She also asked him: “What is this step for? And that one? Oh, this needs to soak for many days? You must use young bamboo? Beat by hand? This is hard work.” Master Wu, charmed by her manner, poured everything out. He thought he was being very thorough; Commissioner Peng, listening to him stumble and stutter, coughed several times, trying to nudge him to speak more fluently.

Zhù Ying said: “The winter air is dry — if your throat is uncomfortable, later ask Physician Zhu for some fritillaria-loquat pills.”

Commissioner Peng just barely suppressed his next cough.

Zhù Ying showed not the slightest impatience. She listened carefully as Master Wu described all the various aspects of papermaking, asked a number of questions, and then inquired what difficulties he faced.

Master Wu said: “We still follow the old methods my master taught me — nothing particularly difficult, just slow. My lord, look here — this one still won’t do, there are still threads in it.” He then directed his apprentice to keep working.

Zhù Ying asked: “Do you only use manual labor? Could a water-powered trip hammer be used?” She had already been planning to use water power to press juice in some of the sugar workshops in the future — this could greatly reduce the burden on the craftsmen, saving both human and animal labor.

Master Wu said: “That would be wonderful! It’s just that one doesn’t… doesn’t quite dare to do it.”

Zhù Ying asked: “Why?”

Commissioner Peng said: “That would require relocating the paper mill, and besides, the waterways do not permit the installation of many trip hammers. There are already not enough water-hammer mills for grinding grain, and the court has repeatedly and strictly forbidden the practice…” As he spoke, his voice trailed off, and he regretted having so directly pointed out an oversight by his superior.

Setting up water-hammer mills on waterways created many problems — blocking the waterway, interfering with irrigation, and the like — because the suitable stretches of water were limited.

Zhù Ying said: “Cannot a suitable location be found?”

Master Wu said eagerly: “That would be wonderful!”

Zhù Ying said: “Let me think further on it.”

Xiao Wu’s heart gave a lurch. He nearly spoke up in objection. After Zhù Ying left the paper mill, he trailed behind her like a shadow, slipping into the study at the back of the Prefect’s residence: “My lord, surely you are not thinking of… creating a Wuzhou paper? The sugar workshop capital has only just been recovered. One sugar master cost nearly a thousand guan — another paper master would be far too…”

Zhù Ying said: “Where is all this chatter coming from?”

She was well aware that more than a fair amount had been spent on the sugar operation. At the time, a skilled sugar maker couldn’t be found anywhere in all of Nanfu, and she had needed them to improve the process and do it better — it had been unavoidable to pay a premium. By comparison, papermaking seemed easier than sugar-making, because she already had people on hand who knew how to do it.

She picked up her brush and jotted down several points. The slow speed of papermaking had one cause: materials. Good paper required consistently superior raw materials. As Commissioner Peng had said, while bark, rice straw, and rags could all serve as raw materials, good paper still required fairly consistent, specific inputs. For the locally produced bamboo paper, for instance, large quantities of young bamboo were required — one couldn’t just collect random scraps off the street.

Such uniform materials presented another problem: they were more labor-intensive to process.

No matter how good the raw material, it had to be broken down before papermaking could begin. Taking bamboo as an example, it had to be cut, soaked, pounded, and put through numerous other processes before finally becoming pulp fit for papermaking — and then it had to be pressed flat and dried in the shade.

Zhù Ying thought: Paper is essential! We cannot always rely on buying it!

Paper had many uses — even education required paper. She said: “Let us go see the sugar workshop.”

The sugar workshop processed sugarcane by pressing out the juice. The remaining bagasse was sometimes used to feed livestock or to be composted as fertilizer. Pressed sugarcane bagasse looked somewhat like bamboo that had been chopped and was about to be pounded for papermaking — both were long, fibrous strands. Of course, similar in appearance did not necessarily mean similar in use, but if it could be tried, the sugarcane bagasse would have a new application.

Composting sugarcane bagasse as fertilizer was already a perfectly good use in Wuzhou, where soil fertility was somewhat inferior to the Central Plains. However, in Zhù Ying’s plans, the sugar workshops would eventually expand, producing ever more bagasse — so finding it an additional use as a backup was not a bad idea.

She had Xiang An fill several large burlap sacks with sugarcane bagasse and send them to the paper mill for Master Wu and his crew to experiment with. She would only provide the idea — if it worked, it worked; if not, the bagasse could simply go back to fertilizing the fields.

Master Wu thought to himself: Powerful people always love coming up with novel ideas to amuse themselves. This lord is not an unreasonable person — as long as I am not held accountable afterward for wasting time, there is no harm in humoring the idea.

When he opened the sack and looked, Master Wu felt even more at ease. A large portion of papermaking time was spent on processing raw materials — and sugarcane bagasse was already bagasse, so further processing would be comparatively simple. He said: “It is worth trying. However, it will take some time. I am somewhat short-staffed here, and we are already producing paper for regular use — I am afraid it will be fifteen days before I can deliver any results to my lord.”

Zhù Ying said: “Fifteen days it is. As long as something can be produced, a few more days is perfectly acceptable.”

Master Wu said: “I will begin at once.”

Zhù Ying nodded and said to Xiao Wu, Commissioner Peng, Qi Tai, and the others: “Very well, let them get on with it. Xiao Wu, for now distribute paper to everyone on a monthly basis and also purchase more — but do not buy too much at once, to avoid getting stuck with excess stock. Old Peng, keep a close eye on Master Wu’s operations here and coordinate whatever he needs. Master Qi, the paper you have, continue using it.”

The three agreed.

The Prefect’s residence affairs were numerous and complex — too many to recount in full. Zhù Ying spent several more days addressing them one by one, thinking all the while: There are still far too few capable people to rely upon!

She made a review of all the people in the residence and formed some new ideas about how to deploy them.

One day, Zhang Xiangu asked: “When are we going into the mountains? If we wait much longer, the weather will be even colder, and the journey will be quite freezing.” Their family home had been on a small hillside in Zhu Village, and even at that modest elevation, the wind in winter was bitterly cold. Wuzhou was situated further south and not as frigid — but the mountains here were far higher!

Zhù Ying said: “Three more days.”

Zhang Xiangu said: “Then I will pack a few extra quilts to take along.”

Zhù Ying said: “Alright.”

Zhang Xiangu assumed the three-day delay was due to lingering business at the Prefect’s residence. She did not expect that the very next day, Gu Tong would come rushing from Fulu County to bid Zhù Ying farewell once more. Gu Weng had personally escorted his grandson to the Prefect’s residence and joined him in paying their respects to Zhù Ying, thanking her profusely: “My entire family owes its present standing entirely to my lord’s grace! I do not know how to begin to repay such a debt!”

He made to kneel down, but Zhù Ying stopped him: “Gu Tong is an official now — you are the elder of an official’s family. There is no need to do as you once did.”

Gu Weng quickly said: “As my lord commands. Come, come here and kowtow to my lord on my behalf.”

Gu Tong said: “I will never fail to live up to my teacher’s instruction!” He then turned and shot a look at the young man standing beside Gu Weng.

This was Gu Tong’s cousin. Before Gu Weng set off for Wuzhou city, he had harbored a small scheme — to select the most clever and presentable among the family’s young men to bring along, on the chance that he might take Gu Tong’s former place and become a student under the Prefect.

Gu Tong had counseled against it; Gu Weng refused to listen. There had already been a quarrel at home.

Zhù Ying was sharp enough — one glance was sufficient to read Gu Weng’s hidden intention. But she resolutely declined to take the bait. Back when she had been in Fulu County, she had been desperately short of capable people; if Gu Tong’s cousin had been useful, she would long since have inquired with the Gu family. This young man could only be described as “mediocre” — which made him of no interest.

Zhù Ying said to Gu Tong: “Help your cousin up.”

She then told Gu Weng: “Gu Tong is already an official now. There are some things you did not know before — in the future, listen more carefully to what he has to say.”

She then hosted a farewell banquet for Gu Tong and said nothing further on the matter.

Gu Weng departed full of regret.

After seeing Gu Tong off, Zhù Ying announced to the people of the residence that she would be entering the mountains. Wang Sigong and the others knew that her position as Prefect owed a great deal to the loose-administration regions, and no longer tried to dissuade her. They only asked her to take care of herself and return soon.

Zhù Ying said: “While I and the Deputy Prefect are away, all of you, please be vigilant in the residence. If anything urgent arises, send Chou Wen to carry a message — he knows the mountain roads well.”

Chou Wen, who had been standing further back, stepped forward upon hearing his name: “This official accepts the order.”

Zhù Ying was about to return to the back quarters to collect her family for the journey into the mountains when Qi Tai came running up and said: “My lord! The paper! The paper is ready!”

Zhù Ying asked in surprise: “Hasn’t it been less than ten days? How is it already done?” She turned back. “Come, let us go see.” She returned to the study and had Master Wu brought in.

The papermaking process had gone considerably more smoothly than the sugar-making. Master Wu arrived with one of his apprentices, who was carrying three bundles of paper on his back. Zhù Ying said: “How did you finish so quickly?”

Master Wu replied: “Knowing my lord wished for it, I pressed ahead. Fortunately it was completed in time.” What he did not say was that sugarcane bagasse, being already processed, had actually saved a fair amount of time — and he had reported a slightly inflated timeline to Zhù Ying.

“My lord, please examine these. This bundle is bamboo paper, this one is sugarcane paper, and this one is sugarcane bagasse mixed with a little bamboo. As it happened, a fresh batch of bamboo was just ready at the mill, so I incorporated it into the trial. Testing them together this way, the relative merits and the differences at each step can all be seen clearly.” Master Wu was a little proud of himself, and a little nervous.

Zhù Ying asked: “Which do you think is the best?”

Master Wu replied: “The blended variety is the most economical. The unblended is also acceptable. Both yield paper faster than the straight bamboo paper.”

This was easy to understand — simply in terms of raw material preparation, the sugarcane bagasse saved the paper mill a considerable share of labor.

Zhù Ying said: “Excellent! Continue producing for now, and when I return we will make further arrangements for your operations.”

Master Wu cautiously asked: “And the… water-powered hammer…?”

Zhù Ying laughed: “I will not forget it!” Wuzhou had no shortage of rivers, many of which originated in the mountains with substantial elevation differences. Based on her extensive travels, those mountain locations were also well-suited to such purposes. Zhù Ying was inclined to establish a portion of the workshops in the mountains — so why not put that water power to use?

Zhù Ying took up the paper, examined each sheet, and wrote a few trial characters. She found that, without overly exacting standards, it was entirely adequate for everyday use. She thus signed and accepted delivery of the three hundred sheets, crediting them all against Master Wu’s assigned duties.

Master Wu had already prepared himself to give these three hundred sheets as an unpaid tribute. After receiving the receipt, he stood momentarily stunned: they all say my lord is good — it is truly so!

Zhù Ying was in fine spirits after seeing the paper, chatting and laughing with Huajie all the way.

Zhang Xiangu poked her head out of the carriage: “What are you so cheerful about?”

Zhù Ying said: “Oh, there’s so much to be cheerful about!”

On this trip into the mountains, Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Da rode in a carriage, switching to sedan chairs when the mountain roads became too rough. Zhang Xiangu was not entirely at ease while being carried, watching the white-duty guards bearing her, her heart more taxed than theirs. She thought: I should tell the third child — next time, let me ride a donkey.

Plum Blossom Commander Mei also wanted to follow them into the mountains and had his troops ready. He had watched Zhù Ying become Prefect right before his eyes, and this filled him with profound regret. He thought: had I known, I should have thrown in with this Prefect long ago! I only thought of making money with her — never thought to rise in rank alongside her!

Zhù Ying said: “The city of Wuzhou needs someone to keep order and deter petty troublemakers. Deputy Prefect Zhang has gone north, and I am heading west — you cannot simply abandon your post.”

Commander Mei saw the sense of this and said with great reluctance: “Then there is nothing to be done! Next time the Deputy Prefect returns and someone is minding the city, I will personally escort my lord into the mountains.”

Zhù Ying said: “Of course, of course.” She did not take even any of Commander Mei’s soldiers — she brought only her own attendants and household staff into the mountains.

The party entered Talang County first. The family of Lang Kunwu had sent people early to wait along the road, then guided everyone into the settlement.

The Talang settlement had changed slightly since the last visit — there were no longer poles displaying severed heads in front of the gates. Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Da both felt that the Talang household looked not so bad. Upon entering the settlement, Zhù Ying still instructed her accompanying guards, servants, and merchants that they were not to move about freely. Lang Kunwu also did not rush to have the merchants trading their fill in his settlement first. The large market fair at the estate was held once a month; at other times, occasional traders who made the trip would conduct sporadic exchanges.

Zhù Ying said to Lang Kunwu: “Well? Have you decided who to send to the barbarian school?”

Lang Kunwu said: “Had I known it would come to this, I would have gone up to the capital with my godfather myself. Chou Wen at heart does not like us — even if I send people, and he is the one teaching them…” He knew Chou Wen’s resentment was not without reason, but that would not make him comfortable entrusting his tribespeople to Chou Wen’s instruction.

Zhù Ying said: “In that case — do you see that woman over there? She is the medical doctor of the barbarian school, teaching medicine while also teaching people to read and write. If you want a trustworthy teacher, you can select a few clever people and have her take them as students.”

“That is not my godfather’s…” Lang Kunwu had met Huajie before and was taken aback.

Zhù Ying said: “Indeed. She has a basic knowledge of the mountain languages. If you cannot feel at ease with Chou Wen, and I imagine Su Deng would not please you either, then I will have her teach those with such reservations. What do you say?”

Lang Kunwu thought: People say this lady is also a good person. Besides, they would only be learning reading and arithmetic — and medicine on top of that! Far more useful than learning from Chou Wen!

He said: “I have a few people. I will send them when my godfather returns to the prefecture.”

Zhù Ying smiled: “Good.”

Lang Kunwu said: “Tomorrow I will accompany my godfather further into the mountains.” His own home was already in the mountains, yet he still referred to the areas around the estate as “further into the mountains.”

The night passed without incident. The next day, the Old Lady Lang and Lang Niangzi announced they would come along as well, saying they were taking the opportunity to visit relatives. The various settlements were not particularly close to one another, and the mountain roads were difficult — in the past they could barely manage one visit a year. Now, with a large traveling party and a proper reason, they were happy to come along. They also wished to see the legendary “Stone City” with their own eyes.

They called Zhù Ying’s estate the Stone City. This city had been built with solid materials — its outer perimeter was constructed of hewn stone, and before the city gate was a small barbican, with massive timber doors that were raised and lowered by cables rather than swinging open like the doors of an ordinary home. The buildings inside Zhù Ying’s residence were solidly built as well, of brick and large timbers.

The party passed through the settlement of Shanque’s father-in-law, who joined them, and then through Xijin’s settlement, arriving at the estate to find Su Mingluan, her mother, her daughter, and her uncle already waiting outside. Each family had also brought merchants and the like. It was now the eleventh month, but the mountain-dwellers had to prepare for the New Year at the foot of the mountain, and by the twelfth month almost no one would venture into the mountains anymore — this could be considered the final concentrated trading session of the year. After this exchange, the lowland merchants would prepare for the New Year or travel to more prosperous areas to source goods, then sell the mountain products at a premium to their own people over the holiday.

The mountain goods here were quite popular. For outsiders to enter the mountains was to risk getting lost or being attacked, but local Wuzhou merchants had little fear of these hazards — and they earned this money with great satisfaction.

Once the group had assembled, Zhù Ying knew that their gathering here must mean they had affairs to discuss — most likely each had demands to make and proposals to present. She too had her own agenda. She said: “Let us go inside and settle in first. Everyone is welcome to stay with me — is that agreeable?”

Su Mingluan said: “I was just about to tell my godfather — I will not stay anywhere else, only at my godfather’s house. It makes me feel at ease.”

On the small horse beside her, Su Zhe gave a quiet sniff. The little girl glanced at Zhù Yan and Zhù Shi, feeling rather aggrieved — her grandfather had brought these two along but had not brought her! How infuriating!

Zhù Ying tugged gently at her little braid: “You and your mother cannot both be away from the Asu County more than two days’ journey at the same time.”

Su Mingluan looked at Zhù Ying in surprise. Zhù Ying said: “You had never considered an arrangement like this? Well, remember it going forward.” She then said the same thing in passing to Lang Kunwu: “The same applies to you.”

Lang Kunwu immediately grasped the reason behind this and said: “Quite right!”

The party entered the city. Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Da, upon entering, gave a start: “Goodness? There are so many more people here!”

Zhù Ying said: “Yes, there are indeed more.”

Su Qingtian came hurrying up from behind and said: “They came here to wait out the winter.”

The small city had once been quite empty! But now there were many more people inside — nearby scattered-dwelling households, following word of mouth, had come in droves to settle here. In the few months since Zhù Ying had been away, more than two hundred additional households had arrived, bringing the total permanent population to nearly four hundred. A person with the appearance of an accountant bowed and stepped forward: “They have all been assigned designated areas of residence — there has been no disorderly settling — and they were given some materials to build their own dwellings.”

Zhù Ying asked: “Is your injury healed?”

The man smiled: “Thanks to my lord’s beneficence, it is fully recovered.”

This man was also a merchant who had been injured while entering the mountains. In the past, his chances of survival would have been uncertain. Now, because this “estate” existed, he had been able to come here and recuperate in residence. Zhù Ying had left him in charge of taking a census before she departed. Since she did not wish the court to have any hold over her estate, she could not use officials from the court to work for her.

Zhù Ying and her party returned first to the Zhù residence. This time they had truly brought a great many items — furniture, bedding, and the like. The Zhù family themselves occupied the inner courtyard, while others were accommodated in the guest rooms. The attendants of Su Mingluan and the others were housed in a garrison adjacent to the Zhù residence, each family group according to their clan. The merchants dispersed as was their custom into the market area. By evening, when the city gates were shut and torches were lit on the four corner towers, no matter how the cold mountain wind wailed, within the Stone City there was a pervasive sense of security.

Everyone had traveled and was somewhat weary, but the evening banquet was abundant. Zhù Ying said: “Being here is like being in your own home! I know everyone has things to discuss — after the market opens tomorrow, while they conduct their trade outside, we will remain here and discuss our own affairs.”

Everyone agreed with one voice.

After dinner, the Lang family returned to their own courtyard. The Old Lady Lang said: “You two, both of you, come here!”

Lang Niangzi said: “A’Ma is speaking — we are both listening!”

Lang Kunwu, seeing the two about to quarrel again, quickly said: “We are guests at my godfather’s house — both of you please keep it quiet! Do not let the Asu family see us making a spectacle!”

Both women lowered their voices. The Old Lady Lang said: “The little girl from the Asu family — is she being raised in my godfather’s home?”

“Yes.”

The Old Lady Lang said: “Then send A’Fa over as well!” Lang Kunwu’s eldest son was called A’Fa — not because his parents wanted him to become wealthy, but because this sound in the Talang language meant “clever.”

Lang Niangzi’s eyes widened: “He is still so young, and the Asu family has people there. What if something happens?”

The Old Lady Lang said: “In my lord’s household, no one from the mountains has ever come to harm! The Asu family stole a march on us already — we cannot always be one step behind them. I can see my lord is quite fond of A’Fa! Children learn quickly when they are young. Baozao is already slow at picking up speech!”

Lang Niangzi said: “He is just dull.”

“My son is dull, and your son is clever? If he’s so clever, send him down the mountain! They are learning numbers and letters there — that is better than relying only on memory and pictograms! That is exactly what should be learned!”

Lang Niangzi said: “But what if…”

The Old Lady Lang waved a hand: “Then you two had better get busy and give me more grandchildren!”

On the other side, Su Mingluan had brought Su Zhe before Zhù Ying again and told her to “speak nicely to my godfather.” Su Zhe only pouted for a short while before Huajie managed to coax a smile out of her: “I missed Auntie, and I missed Great-Grandmother — but not my godfather.”

This drew laughter from everyone present.

Su Mingluan herself brought up the matter of the barbarian school with Zhù Ying, saying: “I have always wanted to learn as much as possible — my godfather knows this. Asu County is like that from the start — accustomed to sending women out into the world. This time there will still be several female students. I find it easier to speak with women.”

Zhù Ying said: “What does it matter? As long as they can learn and have ability, I do not concern myself with who they are. And you should not either.”

Su Mingluan said: “I will not.”

Zhù Ying asked further: “Is there anyone willing to study medicine?”

Huajie gave a small sound of mock reproach. Zhù Ying smiled, glanced at her, then told Su Mingluan about the medical doctor position in the barbarian school. Su Mingluan said: “Truly? That is wonderful! When my little sister came back, she said Auntie can save lives. Godfather, may I have two more places?”

Zhù Ying said: “You submit the names, and I will approve them.”

“A word is a bond!”

“A word is a bond!”

Both parties were quite satisfied. Su Mingluan took her daughter and went contentedly to bed.

Zhang Xiangu on her side could not sleep. She still felt her own household was too sparse! She had brought back two cartloads of quilts, but when divided up, her own room’s storage chest had only two spare quilts left. Furniture was even more scarce — the Zhù residence in the capital had been considerably smaller than the estate, with fewer rooms and less space, and when they left, Zhù Ying had not allowed the larger furnishings to be brought along!

Zhang Xiangu, grumbling to herself, carried the books she had brought back and placed them in Zhù Ying’s new study, saying all the while: “We need to take measurements and have more furniture made!” She also thought: the longer they stayed, the sturdier it needed to be — bamboo furnishings simply would not do anymore!

She casually fished out a set of writing implements, brought them back to her own room, turned up the lamp’s wick, and began to write — listing the things that needed to be prepared, one by one, so she could give the list to her daughter to handle.

Zhù Da watched and said: “You can actually write!”

“Get out of here!” Zhang Xiangu said. “Stop bothering me!” She could write, but not well — and the more she wrote, the more agitated she became, and she was looking for someone to vent on.

The old couple bickered for a little while. Zhù Da said: “You are not good at writing anyway. Tomorrow have Huajie do it — she writes well, and quickly, and knows how to organize things. Why not discuss it with her tomorrow and have her write it all out?”

“Huajie has become an official now — tomorrow she will be busy with the third child’s affairs. I cannot hold up the third child’s work.”

Zhù Da said: “Then have the little hammer-boy come write it tomorrow.”

“I shall write it myself!”

The two bickered a few more rounds, then suddenly both fell silent. Zhang Xiangu’s face turned pale. She shuddered: “Old man, did you hear that?”

“I… I heard it. A wolf! Ahem! Ahem!” Zhù Da drew himself back up: “I will go take a look!”

“Look at what? We are inside the city — it is not like the old days…” Zhang Xiangu said softly from behind his back. As she spoke, she laughed to herself.

Zhù Da went to have a look and naturally saw nothing, only a moon in the sky above. He coughed loudly a few times and strode back into the room. As he walked, he thought: These blasted creatures! Tomorrow I will tell the third child — send people out to hunt wolves!

At that same moment, Zhù Ying was listening intently.

Wolf howls were not unfamiliar to her — not hearing them would have been strange. Back in her hometown they could occasionally be heard as well. But the homeland had a dense population, and wolves rarely ventured into the village — only in winter, when food was scarce, would they come down from the mountains. This place, though, was right in the middle of the mountains — deep mountains and dense forest.

Xiang Le said: “The fact that so many people have pledged themselves to the estate here is precisely because of the dangers of the mountains. My lord built this estate and has saved countless lives — a deed of boundless merit.”

Zhù Ying said: “Without me, they would have found ways to go on living.”

“But many more would have died. While my late father was still alive, our family’s trade with the mountain peoples gradually grew, and we would hear from them about wolves, wild boars, and sometimes even tigers. In winter, when wolves and tigers were starving, they would eat people; wild boars were even worse — they would also root up the ground and upend crops right down to the roots.” Xiang Le said.

Zhù Ying gave a quiet sigh: “It is hard on all of them. Let me support them, and they me. Now, to the matter at hand.”

Xiang Le quickly composed himself and stood up straight. Zhù Ying said: “Since you understand the hardships they face, would you be willing to look after them?”

Xiang Le asked carefully: “My lord’s meaning is…?”

“You and Xiang An will take turns overseeing this estate.” Zhù Ying once again lamented the shortage of capable people around her. She did have some talent, but none of them were suited to managing her estate. The estate’s population was growing — she could not simply grab a passing merchant and put them to work. Nor was it appropriate to bring in someone at random who would then know the full extent of her resources. Let outsiders think of this as her estate, a safe harbor for trading — that was enough.

This place was her foundation, her root. It had to be someone she trusted completely — someone who would not betray her, who would not sell her out even if the court issued an order. And they had to be competent enough to manage the estate. Of course, she planned to spend about half her time in the mountains going forward. As Prefect of a loose-administration zone, her going into the mountains was entirely legitimate.

In the days she was absent, someone had to watch over this home, her true “home.”

Huajie was in truth the most reliable person, but she had her own calling — the barbarian school could not be left without her.

At present she had Hu Shijie at her side, sufficient for communications and protection, plus many people at the Prefect’s residence who could be directed. The estate was a different matter. It required her own people.

Xiang Le had not thought through all of this, but immediately said: “Yes!” He and Xiang An had always regarded themselves as Zhù Ying’s people, and Zhù Ying had always treated the Xiang family generously — he had no hesitation.

Zhù Ying said: “Reliable people already here can be retained first. There is also—” She raised a finger and gestured toward the outside of the building. “A proper garrison needs to be established as well. With a city wall, we need not fear wolves — but newly broken farmland cannot be left to be rooted up by wild boars, and they must be hunted. There are also people to protect.”

“Yes!”

“Your nephew will be arriving soon, will he not?”

“Yes. My mother and sister-in-law are both willing.”

“Starting tomorrow, begin taking charge of the estate. The front gatehouse needs to be put into use.”

“Yes.”

Not far away on the mountainside, a lone wolf howled at the moon. Within the Stone City, a person in ragged clothing curled tighter beneath a worn piece of raw sheepskin and suddenly opened their eyes. They ran toward where memory told them the door was, wanting to check the door bolt — but stumbled over the edge of the fire pit midway and came awake. They groped their way back to the straw pallet, pulled the sheepskin up over themselves, and drifted peacefully back to sleep.

Huajie, carrying a ceramic jar of chicken soup wrapped in a thick cloth cover, gave a small start at the wolf howls, then clutched the soup closer and walked quickly into the study: “Burning the midnight oil again!”

Zhù Ying put down her brush and stretched lazily: “Going to bed now!”

“Even being home, you do this.”

“There is still so much to attend to.”

Huajie set down the soup and picked up a spoon: “Come, eat.”

Zhù Ying ate and talked: “You will be this busy too, before long.”

“I am willing.”

The two talked idly. Zhù Ying said: “I have asked Xiang Le and Xiang An to take turns looking after the estate.”

“Mm. They are both trustworthy people. A pity we have so few capable hands.”

“There will be more in time.”

Huajie said with delight: “If you say it will happen, then it will. Is there some good thing about to come to pass?”

Zhù Ying said: “That depends on how I go about it. Some things are easy, some are genuinely difficult. The simpler kind — I have already achieved that. The harder kind is truly hard.”

“How so?”

“Do you know what ‘order’ means?”

“Hmm?”

Zhù Ying said: “Minister Wang once spoke to me about ritual and law…” She slowly told Huajie about that long conversation with Wang Yunhe.

Huajie said: “I had thought — that the court’s permitting female officials in the Court of Judicial Review meant there was hope for women going forward. If even Minister Wang speaks this way, then it truly is…”

“Then it truly is a matter of relying only on oneself! Because the female supervisor does not disrupt the order — it maintains, or rather, patches it. You, Xiao Jiang, and Su Mingluan exist under loose administration and are presently outside that order. I, on the other hand, have disrupted their order. Order stands above ritual and law — which is why things considered contrary to ritual and law can still occur under it.

I must have an order of my own — I must build my own tower to replace theirs. To replace it entirely is beyond my power, but even just to repair and alter it, I must have something of my own to stand upon. To speak for myself, to make many people believe in me and speak on my behalf — just as many people speak on behalf of maintaining theirs. At the very least, here, this must be so.

Small cleverness and small cunning may allow one to maneuver through life in brilliant personal splendor — like an empress dowager with the court prostrating before her — but it benefits only one body. You and I might serve as officials for one generation, Asu County might last at most two generations until Su Zhe’s time, and beyond that I cannot guarantee that the next generation will have the character, the intelligence, and the political acumen to continue holding their position. Order is a tower, but it is also a torrent — a duckweed floating on the water is not ruling over it. One wave and there is nothing left. I would rather be an island, a shore. I must have a tower of my own.”

The more Zhù Ying spoke, the more came out. She rarely had the chance to speak her true thoughts aloud — she found that giving voice to them, having someone to listen, genuinely helped to sharpen her own thinking.

“So what do you plan to do?”

“Print some books first.”