By this time the capital had already entered the twelfth month, and the weather was quite cold. The two of them sat in the study beside a brazier of charcoal. Gan Ze and the others quietly withdrew to go drink tea and warm themselves by a fire with Zhao Rui and the rest; Zhù Ying and Zheng Chuan settled in for their “private discussion.”

“The princes are restless. Among them, several cannot sit still — they are cultivating connections with ministers everywhere. Duan Ying has married the younger sister of Prince Lu’s wife; Prince Zhao’s daughter has been married into the Shi family; Prince An is hosting grand banquets and the literati flock to his gates…” Zheng Chuan, speaking to Zhù Ying, dispensed with pleasantries and got straight to the point, as his father had tasked him.

“Quite the lively scene,” said Zhù Ying. “The Duan family is truly petty-minded — they didn’t even buy my wedding sweets, otherwise I would have known about this long ago.”

Zheng Chuan could not help but splutter with laughter, then immediately straightened his face and said, “Father has one absolutely critical word for Third Brother to keep in mind — in all other things, being slightly off by a fraction is of no consequence, but in this one matter, not even the tip of a shoe can be placed in the wrong direction. The matter of establishing an heir must not be taken lightly.”

“Here — try some of these.” As Zhù Ying spoke, she passed Zheng Chuan a handful of warm roasted chestnuts.

Watching Zhù Ying display not the slightest sign of anxiety, Zheng Chuan thought to himself: Third Brother’s equanimity — no wonder Father values him so.

Zheng Chuan had come running over without a hand warmer; he accepted the chestnuts and cradled them in his palms for warmth. He said obliquely, “His Majesty, endowed with divine wisdom, though not yet seventy, has reached a point of acting according to his heart’s desire — at perfect ease and liberty.”

“Only His Majesty is capable of this,” said Zhù Ying. “How is everyone at home? The distance is so great and messages come so slowly — I don’t know how things have been these past several months.”

“All well,” said Zheng Chuan. “It is just that the grandparents, now in their years, don’t much care to move about in winter. And in summer they want to go away to escape the heat — so a great deal of the household affairs have fallen on Father’s shoulders. He has been quite taxed.”

“You are going to have to shoulder some of that as well,” said Zhù Ying. “Have you eaten dinner?”

“I’ve eaten, thank you. Don’t bother on my account.”

Zhù Ying refilled his tea. Zheng Chuan set the chestnuts beside the fire and accepted the tea, saying slowly, “The prefects who are geographically closer have already mostly arrived; His Majesty has been receiving some of them these past few days. Ministers dare not presume to comment on the sovereign — but looking at these prefects, when each one is received is not a fixed matter: some who arrived early are received late, some who arrived late are received early. Some exchange only a few words and come back out; others are questioned at great length. His Majesty’s celestial will truly defies prediction.”

Zhù Ying watched Zheng Chuan and gave a slow, deliberate nod. “I understand. Please tell Marquis Zheng that I will go see him tomorrow.”

“Third Brother is too formal,” said Zheng Chuan. “Father sent me precisely so that Third Brother would take care of pressing business first, without needing to rush over to our house and go through all those formalities.”

“Tomorrow I will certainly be able to see all of you,” said Zhù Ying.

“Good — I’ll be waiting for Third Brother then,” said Zheng Chuan with a smile.

“Of course.”

…—

Zheng Chuan assumed that when Zhù Ying said “see you tomorrow” she meant waiting for Marquis Zheng to return from court that evening, and then calling at the residence to see him. What Zhù Ying had in mind was entirely different — she went to the Imperial City during the day.

Being summoned before the Emperor was one matter; settling accounts with the various ministries was another matter altogether. When a prefect came to the capital, it was precisely to have the past year’s performance assessed, and the most important criterion was revenues and grain; but nothing else could be neglected either — the assessment of officials, the resolution of official cases, related public works, and so on, all of it.

Zhù Ying also had a perfectly legitimate reason for a separate matter: this time coming to the capital, she had brought Su Zhe and the others. They were not county magistrates, but they were the children of county magistrates; Su Zhe was the certain heir apparent, and Lang Rui, barring unusual circumstances, was also an heir apparent. The other three were less certain, though all appeared to be flourishing.

In case the Emperor wanted to see them, the Ministry of Rites and the Bureau of Foreign Affairs also had to instruct them in the appropriate etiquette.

Her plan was to go to the Ministry of Rites the next day — which meant she would certainly be able to get through the door.

Going out in the morning, she first went to the Bureau of Foreign Affairs to check on the five young ones. They had been so overwhelmed by the sight of the capital that they had chattered away half the night, with Jin Yu emerging as the star of the group of five, boasting at length about all the things his elder brother had told him after returning from his own previous visit to the capital. They had all come for the first time and were deeply shaken; now listening to Jin Yu’s boasting, everyone was completely absorbed.

Su Zhe and the others were willing to sit and hear him tell stories that sounded completely implausible for one simple reason: Grand-Uncle came from a place like this — so this place must be something pretty extraordinary, right?

When Zhù Ying arrived at the Bureau of Foreign Affairs, the five young ones had only just fallen asleep a short while ago; they rolled up rubbing their eyes, and two of them had their jacket buttons fastened in the wrong holes.

As she refastened Lang Rui’s buttons, Zhù Ying said, “Tired? Then everyone go back to sleep for now. The rooms next to yours are occupied by tribute envoys from other lands — do not get into any disputes with them. I am going to the palace first to see about arrangements for your imperial audience and then deal with other things.”

Relieved of the need to rise early, the five rolled back to catch up on their sleep. Zhù Ying set out for the Imperial City; the court assembly inside had already begun.

Zhù Ying brought Sister Hu along with four male and female bodyguards. Sister Hu was extremely tense; she looked at everyone around them as though they might all be scrutinizing her party. Zhù Ying said, “Once you’ve come enough times, you get used to it.” Sister Hu didn’t know whether the words had sunk in; she nodded and then felt inside her pouch for her sling stones.

Zhù Ying still followed procedure — first she applied for a gate pass that would allow entry into the palace, and while waiting exchanged a few pleasantries with acquaintances. Some of the people who recognized her offered congratulations; others teased her. There was also a familiar guard captain who pointed out people to her: “That one arrived two days ago — a prefect from such-and-such a place. That one over there, a deputy prefect from such-and-such.”

While the two were talking, someone else called out: “Third Son?”

Zhù Ying turned around. “Eldest Brother?”

Chen Meng had grown slightly rounder, his appearance beginning to resemble the great ministers in traditional portraits. He dismounted and walked over quickly. The two sized each other up; Zhù Ying said, “You have put on weight.”

Chen Meng laughed. “You have grown up.”

Chen Meng was stationed closer than Zhù Ying and had arrived two days earlier. Zhù Ying asked, “Have you had your imperial audience yet?”

“Today is my day.”

“Then I won’t hold you up — once we’ve both finished our business, let’s catch up properly?”

“Done!”

Chen Meng went in to wait for his summons; Zhù Ying continued waiting for her credentials, and once they were confirmed and verified, she fastened them to her belt, handed her long sword to Sister Hu outside, who reached out and caught it. Guard Captain Li said, “You — why are you bringing a woman?”

“My mother worries about me,” said Zhù Ying.

Guard Captain Li laughed. “You just need to watch your own mouth.”

“It isn’t necessarily the mouth that’s the problem,” said Zhù Ying.

They exchanged a few more words, and Zhù Ying headed for the Ministry of Rites. Her reason for coming was entirely legitimate; she went in and first looked for familiar acquaintances. The last time Su Mingluan and the others had come through, Zhù Ying had already dealt with the Ministry of Rites. Familiar faces received her with warmth as well. “The Minister has not yet returned; Prefect Zhù, please step inside and wait.”

Marquis Zheng and the Vice Minister, not to mention the Ministry Directors, were all still in court. It was year-end, and affairs of all kinds were pressing; with the Grand New Year Celebration coming up, the Ministry of Rites was also extremely busy. Zhù Ying was tactful — she did not engage people in lengthy conversation, exchanged courteous greetings, thanked them for the tea, and sat quietly off to one side to wait.

Marquis Zheng came back fairly early that day. Zhù Ying waited for him to return, and per his habitual routine, settle the day’s affairs. The familiar acquaintance from before went up and murmured something in Marquis Zheng’s ear, indicating Zhù Ying’s direction. Marquis Zheng looked over; Zhù Ying was standing off to one side, the very picture of innocence, clasping her hands in greeting toward him.

Marquis Zheng beckoned to her with one finger.

Zhù Ying walked over in the tacit understanding of long acquaintance, sweeping a glance over Marquis Zheng. His temples were now faintly threaded with frost; by her reckoning, this man had already passed forty, and his bearing had grown ever more settled and composed. Marquis Zheng first stopped the others from reporting to him and asked Zhù Ying, “You aren’t busy with your proper duties — why have you come here first?”

“I came about proper duties. The tributary counties feel deeply grateful for the celestial grace they have received. I can communicate with them, having the common language — so I brought a few children along to the capital. They have not been instructed in court etiquette, and if His Majesty were to take a passing fancy and wish to see them, the Ministry of Rites would need to instruct them.”

Marquis Zheng looked at her and said, “Come with me.”

The two entered Marquis Zheng’s private office. The warmth inside billowed out to meet them; Zhù Ying sneezed, and Marquis Zheng said, “Have you caught a chill?”

“Not at all.” Zhù Ying took out her handkerchief and wiped her nose. “You are busy, so I will be brief?”

“I am in no hurry at all — why are you in a rush? Sit down slowly and tell me. What children?”

“The children of the county magistrates — Su Mingluan’s daughter, and Lang Kunwu’s son and the others.”

Marquis Zheng was very slightly surprised, then smiled. “You have truly been improving with every year.” He paused. “By the way, I hear there is some small trouble in Wuzhou — what happened in Fulu County? Word has reached the capital.”

“Ran into a man whose vision exceeds his grasp,” said Zhù Ying. “Managed to provoke the gentry first, then wound up hurting the common people — I have never seen someone capable of offending absolutely everyone in one fell swoop. Vice Minister Cai even wrote me a letter. I read it and thought I truly had no time to deal with him, so I told him to take no action whatsoever for the time being. Whether he listens is up to him.”

“If he makes a mess of it, you will take care of him?”

“Heh heh.”

“Don’t let it slip out of your hands,” said Marquis Zheng.

“Yes.”

Since they were in the Ministry of Rites, speaking too privately was not appropriate; the two continued with official matters. “Consolidating the next generation is also well done,” said Marquis Zheng. “His Majesty may well grant them an audience. However, their priority in the queue will not be particularly high.”

“Of course.”

All foreign envoys presenting tribute and attending imperial banquets had their position in the order of precedence — corresponding to the power and status of their region. If your territory was large and formidable, you stood toward the front; if your territory was small, not particularly strong, and not a serious threat, you stood toward the back. Wuzhou’s tributary counties, whether measured by the court’s ranking of prefectures and counties, or by their position among the foreign tributaries, could not be considered high in standing.

Zhù Ying then asked how the Marquis’s parents were keeping. “Getting on in years and reluctant to move about,” said Marquis Zheng. “And your parents? They surely did not come along on this trip? They are older than I am — this journey would have been quite arduous.”

“Seeing it was cold, I didn’t bring them back. The south is warmer, at least.”

“Quite so. Have you been to the Secretariat yet?”

“I haven’t been anywhere — I came to you first.”

Marquis Zheng had much to attend to; seeing that Zhù Ying had everything in hand and that private matters were not convenient to discuss here and now, he said, “Go and take care of your business. Your matter I have noted — I will arrange for someone.”

“Then give me the person right now,” said Zhù Ying, “and I will go with him to the Bureau of Foreign Affairs.”

“You are as reliable as ever when it comes to getting things done,” said Marquis Zheng.

“If I settle it all in one visit, then next time I come looking for you it will be for something else,” said Zhù Ying with a smile.

“You’ve had me completely figured out,” Marquis Zheng said with a pretense of complaint. He still arranged for the familiar acquaintance from earlier and instructed the two of them to go together to the Four Barbarians’ Hostel to instruct Su Zhe and the others in proper etiquette.

Before heading to the Four Barbarians’ Hostel, the Ministry of Rites personnel had to coordinate with the Bureau of Foreign Affairs — the Bureau operated inside the Imperial City, while the Hostel was outside. It was more efficient to go and see Luo Sheng and the others in the Imperial City on the way, before going outside.

Luo Sheng was in the middle of busy work; it took him a moment to recognize Zhù Ying when he saw her. “How did you end up coming here? Was the journey all right?”

“Everything was fine, thank you. I have a matter to ask of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs — the various tribes look up to the central civilization with deep admiration and have entrusted me to bring several children here. If they are granted an audience, it would be the greatest of honors.”

Luo Sheng wiped his brow. “Children too? Are they easy to manage? Small children are the hardest to handle — and such a long road, and you still dared to bring them. No one fell ill on the way?”

Zhù Ying gave Luo Sheng a rather longer look. “They are all very good children — full of energy and life.”

“That’s good, that’s good!” said Luo Sheng, without catching Zhù Ying’s look.

While they were talking, someone came to report to Luo Sheng that two foreign delegations were fighting in the Four Barbarians’ Hostel over who was supposed to take precedence in the seating order. Luo Sheng said, “I had better go and take a look.”

“As it happens, we were just heading over,” said Zhù Ying. “Why don’t we follow along with you?”

Luo Sheng did not have time to think it through. “All right.”

Zhù Ying and her familiar acquaintance, playing the fox borrowing the tiger’s prestige, followed Luo Sheng into the Four Barbarians’ Hostel. Luo Sheng, being a generous and decent man, upon entering first spoke to Zhù Ying before addressing the fighting parties. “Where are your people staying?” He made arrangements for them.

Zhù Ying contentedly watched the Bureau of Foreign Affairs staff break away to attend to her group, and smiled her thanks. “I won’t trouble you any further — your situation there…”

“Oh, yes, let me go and have a look.”

Zhù Ying stepped aside and said no more; she and the familiar acquaintance, knowing the terrain well, made their way to where Su Zhe and the others were staying. All of them were hanging over the wall watching the fight with great interest. Zhù Ying coughed once; they looked up, saw her, and one by one jumped down from the wall top. Once they had landed, they lined themselves up from tallest to shortest, their attendants all drawing back behind them.

Su Zhe poked Lang Rui, and the two of them stepped forward to make an appeal. “Grand-Uncle~ we didn’t join in! We were just watching!”

Zheng Chuan had assumed that Zhù Ying meant waiting until after work hours, when Marquis Zheng had returned home, for her to call at the residence and see him. But what Zhù Ying meant was nothing of the sort; she went to the Imperial City during the day.

Being summoned before the Emperor was one matter; settling accounts with the various ministries was another matter altogether.

Zhù Ying frowned. “That ladder of yours was not safe — mind it next time.”

“Yes!”

“Come along — etiquette lessons.” Zhù Ying introduced them to the Ministry of Rites instructor who had come along.

From the time she had brought them down from the mountains, Zhù Ying had never required them to speak Mandarin at all times; so while they all understood it, the language they naturally spoke first was their own mother tongue. They had exchanged several sentences all in the Ying tribal language.

They brushed the dust off themselves and stood up straight.

“That’s enough,” Zhù Ying said.

The Ministry of Rites instructor looked at the varying heights of children Zhù Ying had brought out, the eldest of them still bearing traces of childishness on the face. Young children do learn faster, he thought. He then asked, “Where is the interpreter?”

“Just teach them as you are,” said Zhù Ying. “They understand Mandarin — just speak a little more slowly.”

“Oh?”

“If they couldn’t understand the language,” said Zhù Ying, “would this year not have been entirely wasted?”

The instructor clicked his tongue in wonder. Zhù Ying did not immediately leave; she stayed and kept watch at the Four Barbarians’ Hostel until teacher and students had gradually become acquainted, and then took a moment to ask Luo Sheng to keep an eye on the children.

Luo Sheng’s dispute had still not been resolved — the two delegations had remarkable persistence. What had started as a quarrel over the order of precedence had expanded to encompass the size of each party’s living quarters, the number of attendants each side was permitted to bring, the number of merchants accompanying each delegation… and on and on. And now that both sides were arguing, neither spoke Mandarin particularly well, so even the quarrel had to go through interpreters. Neither Luo Sheng nor Zhù Ying could understand a word.

Zhù Ying turned back and waited for a pause in the instruction. She took the opportunity to remind Su Zhe and the others not to start trouble with anyone: “Do not start any fights; do not throw the first punch. But if a fight does break out, you are not allowed to come off the worse for it. When it is one of us, all the others pitch in! Outside the mountains, you are all one family. And when it does come to fighting, use your head — pick one target and focus — don’t scatter your efforts.”

Su Zhe asked curiously, “Grand-Uncle, do fights break out here often?”

“When your mother came last time, there weren’t any,” said Zhù Ying. There had been no large incidents then; fewer people were staying.

She had barely finished dispensing advice on the finer points of fighting when several people came hurrying in from outside. “Is the Wuzhou Prefect here?”

“That’s me,” said Zhù Ying.

“Please come quickly,” said the man breathlessly, “His Majesty wishes to see you!”

…

Zhù Ying had no choice but to entrust Su Zhe and the others to the Ministry of Rites instructor and retrace her steps to the Imperial City.

As they came out of the Four Barbarians’ Hostel, she said to the man who had come, “Congratulations — you have been promoted.”

The young eunuch was caught off guard. “You still remember me, Prefect?”

“Of course — you were quite different in appearance last time I saw you.” She indicated the adornments at his waist. Eunuchs too had their ranks and grades; this young eunuch, when last she had seen him, had been running errands at Lan De’s side. Now he was still running errands, but the markings on his accessories showed he had risen in rank. A small promotion — which was why his robes were unchanged but certain details of his adornments bore a slightly different color.

“They say you are a thorough and attentive sort, Prefect — you even remember someone as insignificant as me.”

“How could I forget? I wonder what His Majesty’s sudden summons is about?”

“It was not originally scheduled for the Prefect to be received today,” said the man. “When Prefect Chen was at his imperial audience, he mentioned the Prefect; His Majesty was reminded and said he wished to see her. Manager Lan dispatched me to look for the Prefect at her residence — only to find the Prefect was not at home…”

Being new to the posting, this was purely a running-around job: first to the Zhù house, where they said she had gone to the Imperial City; then back to the Imperial City, where the Ministry of Rites said she had gone to the Bureau of Foreign Affairs; the Bureau of Foreign Affairs said she had gone to the Four Barbarians’ Hostel — quite a run around!

“Sorry for the trouble,” said Zhù Ying.

“Not at all.”

The two rode, the attendants following behind. Sister Hu and the others’ mounts were notably shorter — making a clear contrast with the tall, fine horses alongside them.

At the edge of the Imperial City, Sister Hu again remained outside. Zhù Ying and the eunuch went in together. Zhù Ying asked a little about where he was from and how long he had been at the palace, and then said nothing more.

The great hall drew near. They walked in silence the last stretch of the way.

The young eunuch announced them; the voice from inside called them forward. Zhù Ying entered and performed the prostration. From above, Lan Xing spoke on the Emperor’s behalf: “Rise.”

Zhù Ying got to her feet and took a careful look at the Emperor — the Emperor now bore unmistakable signs of age. She did not linger on the look and shifted her gaze. In a sweeping glance about the hall, she noted that Wang Yunhe and the others were not present — it appeared the Emperor wanted to speak to her alone.

Lan Xing said again, “You may be seated.”

A chair was brought forward; Zhù Ying gave a small bow of the head in thanks and sat down. She waited for the Emperor to ask perfunctorily after her name, how long the journey had taken, and similar questions, which she answered one by one.

The Emperor’s voice carried the particular unhurried pace of the very old — the sort of measured slowness that could drive a person of urgent temperament to despair. Paired with the surrounding stillness, the fragrance rising from the incense burner, the heat emanating from the burning charcoal, the atmosphere was thick enough to make the hair on one’s arms stand up. One kept feeling as though the Emperor was holding back some surprise.

The Emperor looked at her, turning over in his mind a phrase: Zhù Ying has been in Wuzhou managing affairs for ten years; should her methods have gone astray, the frost three feet thick would be hard to undo quickly, and great trouble might result. It so happened Chen Meng had mentioned Zhù Ying, and the Emperor had decided to summon her and ask a few things.

The Emperor said, in his slow, deliberate way, “You in Wuzhou — beyond promoting agriculture and running schools, have you also been encouraging merchants and permitting women to work freely, altering the local customs in ways that depart from tradition?”

Zhù Ying’s answer was also unhurried. “In my service in Wuzhou, I act as a shepherd to the people on behalf of Heaven. In herding, one does whatever works best to keep the flock moving well.”

The Emperor’s voice took on more weight. “So you admit it?”

Zhù Ying lifted her head, and suddenly, with crisp conviction, said: “A boundary marker is just a broken stone!”

The two sentences had no connection whatsoever. The Emperor blinked, looking slightly baffled. “What?”

Seeing that he had taken the bait of curiosity, Zhù Ying continued, “A boundary marker — it is only proof that a border lies here if someone stands guard over it. Without a person, it is just a stone. Borders are defined by people, not by stones. Only people can make everything matter. I need people. Wuzhou has had only eight counties until now; we have not yet been able to continue expanding, precisely because the population is insufficient to hold a wider territory under control.”

The Emperor gave a nod of recognition. This he understood perfectly — otherwise, why agree to loose imperial administration rather than simply conquering the tribal peoples and turning the territory into regular prefectures and counties? Was it because there was no desire? No.

“What does this have to do with your encouraging merchants and permitting women to work?” asked the Emperor.

“People,” said Zhù Ying, “come down to two things: they must be able to be fed, and they must be willing to stay. Of Wuzhou’s territory — the five tributary counties go without saying; they are rugged mountains and difficult terrain. But the other three regular counties — to this day there are still labor camps among them, the pestilential lands of exile. The territory looks large, but more than half of it is mountains; arable land is scarce. Three counties combined — so many acres of cultivated land, so many people; a single county near the capital could match the total of those three. Wuzhou as a whole, by any measure, is poor.

To hold the territory, people are needed; people need to eat. In too poor a place, children may be born but cannot be kept alive; once grown, they cannot be kept from leaving. Without people, the land cannot be defended. So means must be found to keep them alive. If taxes were high and labor conscription was heavy, people would flee — into the mountains. If taxes are not heavy, one still needs to sustain things; beyond farming, there must be other livelihoods. Wuzhou’s merchants are somewhat different from elsewhere — they deal in local goods, not pure speculation and resale; these goods provide sustenance for local people. Only when the population grows does the land truly become ours.”

The Emperor nodded vigorously. “Correct.”

“And when arable land is limited and yet people continue to reproduce,” Zhù Ying continued, “the outcome is comparable to the consolidation of landholdings. Consolidation — without farmland, people become itinerant; itinerants cause disorder. Leaving the land is not the problem — the problem is disorder. This population, when it swells and overflows, looks substantial; yet guarding the frontier still requires people.”

Both the Emperor’s cheeks seemed to weigh more heavily downward than before. He said solemnly, “Indeed.”

“I was originally of shallow understanding,” Zhù Ying continued, “and only grasped this principle after running into walls. I had hoped to pacify another few counties for Your Majesty and the court, but only when I set to work did I realize it still requires people. But there are far too few of them — one generation takes twenty years. Bringing people from elsewhere would amount to something like internal exile — and that we already have.”

The Emperor also shook his head.

“For there to be people,” Zhù Ying continued, “both men and women are needed — for marriage and reproduction.”

She looked around, glancing at the recording official off to one side, then said to the Emperor, “The following sentence I speak — I fear it should not be recorded.”

The Emperor gave no response either way. The recording official paid her no heed either.

“May I ask Your Majesty,” said Zhù Ying, “in a family of four — father, mother, son, and daughter — if a natural disaster or calamity strikes and the family faces starvation, who would be the first to be given up?”

The Emperor’s expression grew very dark. Lan Xing quietly let out a breath. The recording official’s hand trembled, leaving a large ink blot on the paper. The Emperor cast a glance at the recording official; the official persisted and finished writing out the sentence.

Zhù Ying opened both palms. “She must be of use if she is to survive. If she can support herself and even bring a little money back to the family, people will agree to feed her for seven years and raise her to an age when she can be taken on as an apprentice. The family’s land will not be divided for her — she needs a different means of livelihood to survive to adulthood. Civilizing and moral education are things that happen after one has survived. I am of humble origins and have not read many years of books; I do not presume to take charge of moral transformation. Let me simply do the work of keeping people alive.

When people are poor, their aspirations are low — not because they want it that way. Poor people can have consciences; consciences can be inborn. Who treats you well and who treats you badly — that can be felt. It is very difficult for poor people to maintain moral virtue; for them, moral virtue is too expensive. ‘When you sweep, do not harm a single ant’s life?’ When people are driven to exchange their own children for food, is there still anything unharmed?”

The Emperor said slowly, “Why not eat meat instead of gruel.”

“Yet even the Jin Emperor Hui still knew to recognize the blood of the Retainer Ji.”

The Emperor laughed softly. “You’ve read well.”

“I may only be talking nonsense — the wishful thinking of an idle dreamer. But I would rather try first than muddle about with no plan and then, when things reach a crisis, start groping for solutions in blind confusion. Looking at things now — Wuzhou’s revenues and taxes are at least acceptable; the population has also grown somewhat, and there are people who have come from other prefectures as well; the territory has not been in disorder…”

The Emperor pointed at her and said, “Self-congratulation! Self-congratulation!”

“If speaking facts counts as self-congratulation, then I have done reasonably well?”

The Emperor laughed. “Others praising you is sufficient — praise yourself less.”

“Yes.” Zhù Ying did not dare to banter further and answered obediently. Seeing the Emperor had nothing further to say, she gauged the right moment to take her leave. The Emperor waved his hand; Zhù Ying retreated slowly.

Which son of a tortoise has been talking against me behind my back?