After Zhù Ying’s reply, Xian Jing was suddenly overcome with doubt. Zhù Ying’s expression was far too calm — nothing at all like someone announcing a matter of earth-shattering consequence.

This gave him the notion that she was joking.

Calling a man effeminate would make him furious, but if a man mocked himself, pitied himself, or likened himself to a woman in jest — or if close friends and acquaintances were ribbing one another — there was no end to what they might say. Never mind comparing oneself to a woman; plenty of absurd verses had been written by men who styled themselves as servant girls, concubines, or even courtesans. Zhù Ying was a person who constantly confounded expectations, and it was entirely possible she was using this as a preamble to some remonstrance.

Xian Jing eyed her with suspicion, a flicker of wariness rising in him. He was no longer even angry that she had said she was “more clear-headed than him.” He wanted to see what sort of mischief she was about to stir up.

The hearts of the assembled ministers also lurched uneasily. None of them had ever encountered a situation in which a Prime Minister stood at court, produced a memorial, and announced: I have something to declare — I am a woman. They had no idea how to respond.

This was the Prime Minister!

Short of the total collapse of ritual and propriety, a proper Prime Minister was head of all officials. To move against her was to risk sending tremors through the entire court.

Was this a joke told in open court? Or was she laying some kind of trap, trying to ensnare someone? Or had she simply gone mad?

Their eyes were on the verge of popping out of their heads. No matter how they looked, they could detect not a trace of anything “womanly” about her. She was tall and slender, and apart from her fair, beardless complexion, Zhù Ying’s every move bespoke refinement, not coyness. Officials sometimes acted coy before their superiors or even the Emperor — Zhù Ying had never done even that.

Minister of Personnel Lu had once been Zhù Ying’s superior; now their positions were reversed, though the past remained. He too could not fathom what Zhù Ying intended. His thinking resonated somewhat with Xian Jing’s. After a brief hesitation, he asked, “Prime Minister, when you say this — is there some deeper meaning behind it?”

Zhù Ying shook her head. “I am simply informing everyone.”

At those words, the ruler and his ministers all went blank.

Minister Lu lost his voice. Chen Meng found his, though he directed his words at the Emperor: “Your Majesty, this has arisen suddenly. Please first dismiss the court.”

They could hardly stand here at court and bicker over this. The Emperor nodded. Chen Meng then turned urgently to the assembled officials: “No one is permitted to discuss this!” He knew perfectly well that a command like this was meaningless in the face of such news, and so his voice was sharp with a severity he did not truly possess. But the hall still needed to be cleared first — what was the point of keeping so many people here? To publicly verify the Prime Minister’s identity? Did the court have no face left to preserve?

Xian Jing and the others were not subject to Chen Meng’s authority, and the Prime Ministers all remained.

Of everyone present, only Zhù Ying stood exactly as she had before. Everyone else’s eyes had shifted somewhat. The Emperor steadied himself against the imperial seat and rose. It was only when he had stood up that Hao Dafang remembered to help him.

Hao Dafang was also rather dazed: Prime Minister Zhù is a woman? Then… would she be charged with a crime? And the sugar commission…

Hao Dafang was thrown into a panic, unable to tell whether this was fortunate or disastrous. In a daze, he helped the Emperor descend. The Emperor stepped down from the dais and began to circle Zhù Ying, examining her. Zhù Ying allowed him to look.

The Emperor’s voice was slightly hoarse. “You — are you truly a woman?”

“I am.” Zhù Ying nodded.

The Emperor’s gaze locked on Zhù Ying’s face, searching desperately for even the faintest sign of insincerity or jest. He found none.

Zhù Ying nodded at him. “There is no reason to joke about a matter like this.”

The Emperor felt profoundly incredulous. Standing before him was the Prime Minister — and even madness would have been easier for him to accept than this: “A woman? You… how did you enter officialdom?”

Zhù Ying explained patiently, “I passed the examinations. I took the Legal Studies examination all those years ago. Your Majesty had not yet been born at the time.”

Xian Jing said, “How could a woman sit for the imperial examinations? How did you cheat your way in?”

Zhù Ying’s eyebrow lifted slightly, a faint note of surprise in her voice. “Are you saying that obtaining a man’s identity constitutes cheating?”

Xian Jing said hotly, “Don’t evade the substance of the matter! I am speaking of the distinction between men and women, the proper order of yin and yang. You are a woman — how could you sit for the examinations?”

“Which law does it violate for a woman to sit for the examinations?” Zhù Ying asked.

Zhù Ying almost never engaged in debates over classical doctrine — her aptitude for such things was unknown — but she had made a meticulous study of the law and was an absolute expert in its application. Xian Jing wisely halted this dangerous line of argument before it could go further. Suddenly, he too had no perfect answer that would resolve the situation before him.

Chen Meng was watching the Emperor’s expression, searching for something to say, when an announcement came from the door: “Your Majesty, Lord Zheng the Prime Minister requests an audience.”

— Flashback —

When Zhao Su and the others had seen the memorial Zhù Ying had left behind, they too had initially suspected it was a joke. Who could believe it?

Yet Zhù Ying, though generally amiable and capable of banter, was always measured in her humor. They dared not dismiss it.

In Su Zhe’s heart, it was as if someone had moved both the bell tower and the drum tower inside her chest and was striking them with all their might — boom after boom, bell and drum ringing together, shaking her soul. She already believed it eight parts out of ten. So many of Zhù Ying’s previous behaviors now had an explanation. Why she had been willing to support Su Zhe’s mother in becoming a chieftain. Why she had been willing to let girls study and hold official posts.

Because most men did not “refuse” — they simply never thought of it. Only after thinking of it did the question of willingness arise.

And only a woman would have treated Zhu Daniangzi the way she had. Only a woman could explain “keeping oneself pure.” Having passed in and out of the imperial palace so many times, one saw much that was sordid. Even the eunuchs still dreamed of taking wives.

Su Zhe’s heart was in turmoil, and her body trembled involuntarily. She looked into the box and saw there were still several sheets of paper. With shaking hands she lifted them out. On them were written instructions: do not rashly enter the palace; remain outside; act as circumstances allow; if things go wrong, head south — she had made arrangements. But they could not be spoken of now; to speak of them would break the spell.

Gu Tong had received the greatest blow of all. His voice cracked: “What does this mean? How can our teacher be a woman? Is she mocking us, or is there some other scheme at work? There must be a purpose! She wouldn’t be deceiving us, would she? Right?”

Su Zhe said forcefully, “It is exactly what you see! Your astonishment right now is useless! Follow the instructions! Since it was written in a memorial, there is an eight-in-ten chance she has already presented it at court! This is a momentous matter with unpredictable consequences. I am going to prepare now. And you — will you wait here for my news, or leave this place first and lie low?” She recalled Zhù Ying’s prior arrangements and moved to carry them out.

Zhao Su said, “Wait!”

Su Zhe said, “Uncle, I know this matter is enormous — too enormous — but we cannot remain unmoved. All the families of Wuzhou owe her a debt of gratitude, and what she has done for us is real! Even if she concealed something, she must have had compelling reasons. She has arranged everything — arranged for us to escape from danger.”

Gu Tong said, “And her aspirations? Her — his — her… those aspirations from back then… are they all to be abandoned now? So many southerners looked to her as their guiding star. She has… placed everyone in an impossible position.”

Su Zhe said earnestly, “Even if you want to demand answers, it must wait until she is safe! I ask you only this: do you trust her?”

Gu Tong’s eyes were red as blood. “Did you feel not even a shred of anger? If I did not trust her, why would I have run away from home all those years ago to follow her? But now… she turned out not to be him. She is a her. What do you expect of me?”

Zhao Su also harbored a flicker of doubt in his heart, yet he still said, “Then what do you want of her?”

“I…”

Zhao Su gripped his shoulder and said, word by deliberate word, “If you don’t know, then start moving. The priority is to keep her safe. I am the son of a Liao woman. The kindness she has shown me over these years was not false. Whatever has happened, she must be standing before us safe and sound before we can ask our questions. Twenty years of guidance and patronage — we owe her the chance to answer, and we owe ourselves the chance to understand.”

Gu Tong calmed himself and said, “Very well! I’ll follow your lead. Have the servants at the residence been informed? Tell them to prepare as well. Yes — we must ask her. We must ask her.”

Su Zhe said, “Stop dwelling on it! Move quickly!”

Zhao Su said, “Take people and leave the city. There are prepared courtyards in the countryside outside — several of them. Leave no one at this residence. Don’t bother with gold, silver, or valuables — money has been prepared outside. Where is Qingtian? Leave one person at each of the front and back gates to watch in case anyone comes to the residence. Let Xiang Yu and the others know, and tell them not to meddle rashly. I believe our adoptive father will have other means of dealing with this.”

Gu Tong asked, “And you?”

Zhao Su picked up the memorial. “I am going to Prime Minister Zheng’s residence. The one who made her path into officialdom was him — he cannot think he can stand apart from this.”

This statement earned everyone’s agreement. They had long harbored grievances against Zheng Xi in private, and now they felt that Zhù Ying’s continued refusal to distance herself from him had truly been foresight.

Su Zhe said, “Then I’ll have someone carry a message to Lan De.”

“Him? What can he do? Even the Empress has no power in a matter like this.”

Su Zhe said, “Our adoptive parent holds a document signed and sealed by Sheng Ying and Yan Gui. It will be of use to her. As long as our adoptive parent is unharmed, she will be able to receive it.”

Zhao Su said, “Then hurry. Oh — and send word to Sheng Ying as well. Tell him that as long as our adoptive father — ah, as long as she is all right, he can have the document back.”

Su Zhe said, “I’ll bring my aunt and my younger brothers away.”

Zhao Su nodded.

And so they each moved in different directions. Su Zhe and Lu Danqing and the others left the city. Lu Danqing was still in a very peculiar state of mind, and said, “Adoptive father — no, what should we call her now? She — he — she… is it really true…”

Su Zhe’s face held both worry and a suppressed urge to laugh. “Whatever the case, let’s do our part. Oh — did you bring your seal when you came to the capital?”

“What seal?”

“It seems she didn’t give you one. When I came to the capital, my mother gave me several sheets of blank paper bearing her seal. No matter the circumstances, we must protect our adoptive parent! Ah… what should we call her if not adoptive father?”

She herself was getting confused.

Lu Danqing glanced behind her. Besides their own attendants, they had also brought out some of Zhù Ying’s household servants. Lu Danqing was somewhat worried: “These people…”

Zhù Yin said, “We recognize only our master. What does it matter whether she is male or female, old or young? It was she who let me live without slavery. It was she who let me eat my fill and dress warmly. It was she who taught me to read. It was she who taught me skills.”

Su Zhe said, “Good! Let’s go!”

Zhao Su had, at this moment, arrived at the Zheng residence.

The people of the Zheng household recognized him and welcomed him in with smiles. Very soon, he found himself in Zheng Xi’s presence. Zheng Xi was leisurely fishing at the pond; the ice had thawed and fish were easy to catch now. One after another came up; he placed them all in a small bucket, and when the bucket grew crowded, he would pour the entire lot back into the pond.

It was not a rest day, so Zheng Xi handed his fishing rod to an attendant and rose to ask, “What has happened?”

Zhao Su said, “There is a matter. It is not convenient to speak of it here.”

Zheng Xi took him to the study. Zhao Su asked Zheng Xi to seat himself, then produced the memorial for him to read. Zheng Xi’s complexion changed abruptly. “What?”

In his mind, several black characters — “You never disappoint me” — lined up in a row, and then buzzed and spun into a circle.

Zhao Su said, “This is no joke. If it were a joke, it should not have been played this large. She — she went to morning court today, told me not to attend court, and instructed me to go to the residence and see this. When I had finished reading, I came directly here. Prime Minister, there is no point in speaking ambiguously. As things stand, none of us can be untangled from this. Only if she remains safe and unharmed can we continue as before.”

“You knew earlier?”

“Half an hour before you did. Please decide swiftly.”

“What other arrangements has she made?”

Zhao Su shook his head.

Zheng Xi’s face was stiff and cold as he fixed Zhao Su with a chill look. Before Zheng Xi could speak, Zhao Su got in first: “Prime Minister, rest assured — I am going back to the residence now to make sure no one there acts rashly.”

Zheng Xi looked at this small harbinger of ill tidings and felt a wave of irritation. He waved a hand. “At this moment, word is probably already spreading outward from the palace. Go quickly; tell everyone in your household not to say a word out of place.”

“Yes.” Zhao Su gave a deep bow and departed with quiet steps. As he left, he did not forget to tuck the memorial away with him.

Zheng Xi glanced down at his own clothes, returned to his room to change, and over his purple robes added a layer of rough hemp.

Yue Miaojun watched as the maidservants helped Zheng Xi dress, re-combed his hair, and arranged his accessories, and asked with curiosity, “What has happened?”

Zheng Xi beckoned. Yue Miaojun drew near, and Zheng Xi bent close and murmured a single sentence in her ear. Yue Miaojun’s face changed color entirely.

Zheng Xi said, “And I have to go clean up the mess! You should also get dressed and go to the Princess’s residence — ask the Princess to request an audience with the Empress Dowager.”

Yue Miaojun stood there, stunned. Zheng Xi said, “What is it?”

Yue Miaojun suddenly gave him a deep bow. Zheng Xi, his change of clothes not yet completed, reached out and caught her by both arms. “Madam — why this?”

Yue Miaojun said, “This matter could go well or badly. There is a way to be controlled by others in this, and there is also a way to turn the situation around. Please, Prime Minister — you must choose the wise course.”

“What do you mean?”

Yue Miaojun said, “Please, no matter what, ensure she comes through this safely.”

“My entanglement with her already runs too deep. Xian Jing is watching nearby like a tiger sizing up its prey. Naturally I cannot allow anyone to use her as a weapon against me!”

Yet Yue Miaojun shook her head. “A dead person cannot speak. You could push all the blame onto her — but what good would that do? The facts of the matter are laid bare regardless. For twenty years, she has never let anyone down. When you think about it, you cannot even blame her for this — someone of her origins, wanting to live a little better, is only human nature.

I have often thought: a person like her, thorough in everything, faithful and filial, chaste and righteous, without a single flaw — she was so perfect it was almost frightening, like an artificial being.

Now I can finally set my mind at ease. This is a living, breathing human being. That, paradoxically, makes her someone one can actually befriend. Her judgment and her abilities — we both know them well. Prime Minister, protecting her is more advantageous than betraying her.”

Zheng Xi said, “I understand.”

Yue Miaojun said sincerely, “Prime Minister — she concealed her true identity from you. Punishing her for that would be a perfectly valid reason. Yet to be so utterly ruthless is ultimately ugly. Please — you must help her. Consider it a wish of mine. I want this person to fare well. I want you and her to see this through to the end together, and for it to be a good outcome.”

Zheng Xi’s expression shifted several times. At last he said, “Very well. I give you my word.”

— Return to the Present —

Zheng Xi entered the hall in haste. Rather than pay his respects to the Emperor first, he fixed his eyes on Zhù Ying. “All these years, and I never knew — you are a woman.”

“I only found out myself later,” Zhù Ying said.

Zheng Xi looked as though he had heard a joke. “What?”

Zhù Ying explained helpfully, “Infanticide.”

“Ah.” Chen Meng and Xian Jing both understood first.

Chen Meng said urgently, “You were raised as a boy from infancy, isn’t that so? You didn’t know at first. One misstep led to another, and by the time you understood, it was already too late.”

They had all witnessed Prime Ministers charged with treason, and Prime Ministers targeted by the Emperor — they knew how to navigate those situations. A Prime Minister who stood up and declared herself a woman was something none of them had ever encountered. Even Chen Meng did not know what fate awaited Zhù Ying, but she was plainly in a desperate situation.

Chen Meng’s instinct was: at the very least, keep her intact and unharmed. She could not be saddled with a grave criminal charge. Whatever reckoning might come later could wait until this moment had passed.

Xian Jing’s feelings were somewhat complex. He was not unaware of the cruelty of infanticide, and he knew something of Zhù Ying’s starting point in life. He said only, “When my teacher was alive, he had placed great hopes in you! How could you bear to deceive all under heaven for so long?”

“In what way have I failed all under heaven?” Zhù Ying asked. “What I promised to Prime Minister Wang — I fulfilled all of it, did I not?”

Zheng Xi said, “The most urgent matter right now is how this can be handled without turning into a disgrace.”

The Emperor said in fury, “I am already a disgrace!”

“I don’t understand what you are all rushing about. I have not changed by a single hair. You have been told only that I am a woman, and already you act as though I am useless. Have I lost the strength to lift a sword? Have I suddenly become a fool?”

Chen Meng said, “Would you please just hold your tongue!”

Zhù Ying gave a small smile. “I have already given my word to Your Majesty that I would bring clarity to the realm. What comes next is of great importance, so I needed to resolve all hidden vulnerabilities first. Since Your Majesty has entrusted me with the affairs of the state, I too must be forthright in return. What I promised Prime Minister Wang, I will fulfill. What I promised Your Majesty is the same. As long as Your Majesty gives the word, I will continue the work I have taken on.”

The Emperor was choked with fury. “You still want to continue as Prime Minister? Preposterous!”

Zhù Ying sighed inwardly, though even in failure she felt no disappointment, and remained composed. “I have made my preparations. In the south, the introduction of wheat cultivation can increase yields and spare the common people the worst of hunger. The Ministry of Finance is a crucial post — Yao Chenying is capable and reliable. The Hu and the border peoples have all been pacified; within ten years they will pose no great threat to the court. In the western frontier regions, there are solid young men who can be relied upon. The Prime Ministers of past years built up reserves of talent for the country, and capable officials have all been put to use. Yang Jing has retired from the field with distinction, and the Imperial Academy is in good order — the path for future talent will not be cut off.”

Zheng Xi said in irritation, “Why didn’t you simply keep on concealing it?”

Zhù Ying looked at him steadily and asked in return, “And then what? Regardless of how any of you treat me, I have already done what I was able to do. When I act, I keep fair accounts — with others, and with myself. I have accomplished what I set out to accomplish, and naturally I am entitled to live freely.”

Zheng Xi said, with a cold, cutting edge, “And what recompense do you intend to offer for concealing your true origins?”

Xian Jing noted, with a strange sense of surprise, that Zhù Ying did not rebut Zheng Xi this time. Instead she said, “What do you intend to do with me?”

Zheng Xi addressed the Emperor: “Your Majesty, Zhù Ying should first be sent to the prison of the Court of Judicial Review.”

The Emperor, befuddled by his own rage, said, “Granted!”

On hearing this, Zhù Ying did not wait for anyone to escort her. She left the great hall of her own accord and went to present herself at the prison of the Court of Judicial Review, leaving the Emperor to exclaim, “Insolent! Preposterous! Is she no longer even bothering to keep up appearances?”

Zheng Xi said, “Your Majesty, please restrain your august wrath. She is the Prime Minister. A Prime Minister may be dismissed, demoted, or exiled — but in all of this, the court must be allowed to preserve a shred of dignity.”

Chen Meng said, “What is to be done? She has genuinely rendered service to the nation! She is no mere houseguest in your manor, no worthless scion who clings to connections. The court must also take public sentiment into account.”

Xian Jing said, “Even if she cannot be publicly executed, she cannot simply be let off!”

Chen Meng said, “Then exile her. She is already forty-three years old. What can a forty-three-year-old woman do? Your Majesty!”

Zheng Xi said, “It would be best to handle this quietly. I too am at fault for failing to detect this sooner — though it must be said that she has been diligent in her duties over the years. She also rendered service during the Prince Lu rebellion. I ask Your Majesty to pardon her crime, so as to demonstrate Your Majesty’s sage virtue. I will go and speak with her — ideally, she should agree to live as a recluse.”

The Emperor said, “She has betrayed me! She has betrayed me! And you would have me simply let this pass?”

Zheng Xi said, “Your Majesty, the Son of Heaven rules over all within the four seas, and must also have the capacity to tolerate all within the four seas.”

The Emperor said, “I need time to think. All of you may withdraw.”

The Prime Ministers also left the hall. Outside the great hall, Xian Jing said, “This matter…”

Chen Meng said coldly, “A man must have a conscience! Now that she has been revealed as a woman, there is nothing more she can do. Would you still hound her to the last? That would be going too far in cruelty and ruthlessness.”

“She has violated the proper order between the sexes.”

Chen Meng said coldly, “Just keep saying that, and see whether people on the streets don’t spit on your back as you walk by!”

Zheng Xi said, “Stop quarreling. She has served as an official for thirty years! For her to act this way in a single stroke — you should be concerned about whether the court will descend into chaos! We ought to suppress the unrest among those below us and prevent anyone from thinking this is an opportunity to fish in troubled waters.”

Chen Meng was the first to leave; he wanted to find his in-law and discuss countermeasures.

Zheng Xi then went to the prison of the Court of Judicial Review. The atmosphere there was deeply strange. Nearly the entire staff of the Court had gathered outside, and there was Pei Qing, standing outside the door of one of the cells, looking as though he wanted to go in but dared not. When he saw Zheng Xi coming, he hastily stepped aside.

Zheng Xi said, “Give us a few words alone.”

Pei Qing murmured softly, “Prime Minister.”

Zheng Xi waved a hand. Pei Qing fell silent and withdrew.

Zheng Xi walked into the cell and found Zhù Ying sitting cross-legged on the bed board, looking for all the world as though nothing had happened. When she saw him come in, she was courteous — she climbed down from the bed board. The planks creaked and groaned, making Zheng Xi wince.

“You cannot be a woman,” Zheng Xi said.

“I am.”

“Be quiet! You suffered a grave illness long ago and all but perished, your spirit wandering among the nine springs below. Your late mother was deeply devout in her faith, and her sincerity moved Heaven. The Bodhisattva appeared and redeemed you. A return from death runs contrary to the natural order, but even the Bodhisattva Guanyin was male before becoming female — and so you were transformed into female form!” Zheng Xi declared.

Zhù Ying said, “How is it that you can spin a story even better than I can? Who would believe it?”

Zheng Xi said through gritted teeth, “When the pardon comes, I will arrange for you to live at a Daoist convent! You will stay there quietly and not provoke any further trouble!”

“The Prime Minister is a decent person. I would never be ungracious in return.”

“You had best not be.”

Zheng Xi left the prison of the Court of Judicial Review and said coolly, “Bring a set of shackles.”

The faces of Vice President Wu and Cui Jiacheng went instantly pale. Cui Jiacheng was advanced in years, and the lines on his face seemed suddenly to deepen. Vice President Wu bowed her head and said softly, “Prime Minister, the women’s section…”

“I have given my orders,” Zheng Xi said.

In the end, a set was brought from the men’s section. Zheng Xi watched as the shackles were fastened on Zhù Ying and personally kept the key: “From this moment forward, she is to be treated as the traitor Gong was in his time. None of you are to see her alone! You are only permitted to stand guard outside. When food is brought in, no one is to speak with her — not a single word. No one is to discuss her. Isn’t it time you got back to your posts?”

“Yes.”

Everyone scattered like startled birds. Officials no longer dared to approach, and the guards exchanged uneasy glances. The men’s section guard was about to say something when Vice President Wu called out loudly, “What is there to discuss? Didn’t you hear the Prime Minister’s orders?”

Zhou Na and Attendant Fang entered carrying two food boxes, neither of them speaking. When Zhù Ying raised her shackled hands to pick up her chopsticks, the iron chains clinked and clanked. Attendant Fang let out a muffled sob. Zhou Na said, “If you can’t bear to look, go wait at the door. I’ll attend to the official while she eats, collect the dishes, and then we’ll go back and report together.”

Attendant Fang bowed her head and went to stand at the door. Zhou Na said in a whisper, “Official, please eat first. I — I will find a way to get you out. The key is with Prime Minister Zheng. I can bring in a saw. I’ll also bring a change of clothes…”

Click — the handcuffs opened. Zhou Na stared in utter stupefaction. She watched as Zhù Ying peeled a narrow strip of bamboo from the bamboo-plank bed — the kind that was nailed together like a skeleton of ribs — inserted it into the keyhole, and in two or three twists and prods, popped the shackles open.

A forty-three-year-old woman, stripped of the status she had spent thirty years of her life earning — what could she do?

Break out of prison.

Zhù Ying continued eating. Between bites she said, “Would you like some?”

Zhou Na was struck dumb. After a long moment she managed, “Then — then you…”

Zhù Ying finished her meal, pulled the little bamboo strip out of the keyhole and dropped it on the floor, then clasped the shackles shut and tossed them onto the bed board. She rubbed her wrists and gave Zhou Na a smile. “The clothes?”

“Yes — yes, I have them!”

Attendant Fang, wiping away tears with one hand, dug from beneath her skirts a small bundle; inside was a set of clerical robes.

Zhou Na said, “These belong to Nanny Wu’s family — as you know, her family has always been in that line of work. This was something Little Tao had left at the office as a spare. Clean and freshly starched, and barely worn.”

Zhù Ying shook out the garment. Zhou Na helped her change.

Zhou Na’s eyes already showed two fine lines at the corners, yet they still gleamed brightly. She whispered, “Official, take me with you. You’ll always need someone to run errands. At the very least, let me accompany you out of the capital.”

Zhù Ying glanced at the shackles and said, “Not yet. A little while from now, you’ll know where to find me.”

Zhou Na also passed her a waist token. “Take this.”

Zhù Ying looked at it — it was Little Tao’s token. “If I take this, what will he do?”

Zhou Na said in a low voice, “He lost one before; a replacement was made, and when the original turned up later, it was never returned, and no one ever asked for it back either. Go out through the west gate — the guards there are new and wouldn’t recognize Little Tao.”

Attendant Fang coughed softly. Zhou Na fell silent.

After a while, Vice President Wu came and said, “Cui Niangzi has tied up the people on that side.” Then she handed Zhù Ying a packet of money.

Zhù Ying said, “I have money. Keep this for yourselves. As for the clothes I left behind — divide them among you.”

Vice President Wu gave a slight bow.

That night, a red glow lit up the women’s section. People banged drums and cymbals as they ran to fight a fire. The guard on duty, Vice President Wu, cried out, “Disaster! It’s near where Prime Minister Zhù is housed!”

Everyone rushed over. Vice President Wu took the key and opened the cell door. Was there any fire? Only a single candle was burning. On the bed board lay a set of shackles. Zhù Ying was already gone.

Zhù Ying walked her way out of the cell and through the section. Female guards were about — some mending clothes, some bringing in bedding from outside — yet each one moved as though bewildered by a haunting, seemingly unable to see her at all.

Zhù Ying left through the west gate, shoulders slightly hunched, one hand rubbing the back of her neck. She had her waist token verified and walked steadily onward. Once through the palace gate she quickened her pace. Around a street corner, she found Hu Shijie and Zhù Qingtian seated on the shaft of a carriage.

Both of them had no time for surprise. Zhù Ying leapt into the carriage. Zhù Qingtian said, “La — Official — that, the clothes are in that bundle.”

Zhù Ying opened the bundle; inside was a set of Daoist robes, prepared in advance. She changed quickly. Then she asked, “Where are the others?”

Zhù Qingtian said, “They have all left the city.”

“Let us go and join them.”

“Yes.”

The place Zhao Su had prepared was well hidden — thirty li outside the capital, near a small hill, a modest but reasonably spacious courtyard. At this moment it was filled with people.

When Su Zhe saw Zhù Ying step down from the carriage, she ran over, opened her mouth, hesitated, and then spoke a single word: “Grandmother.” Then she felt that was making her sound old.

Zhù Ying smiled. “Come, let’s go inside and talk.”

The room was packed tight, tense energy and excitement washing over all of them.

Gu Tong’s heart was full of unsaid things, but he still waited while Zhao Su and Su Zhe inquired after Zhù Ying’s situation. Zhù Ying told them, “Zheng and Chen have expressed intention to help clear my name.”

Zhao Su said, “Prime Minister Zheng probably fears you hold too much leverage over him as well. He knows your capabilities best of anyone — pushing you to desperation would bring him no benefit. But then, you… why did you…”

Zhù Ying said, “Infanticide.”

Those two words, between those two people, needed no further explanation. Everyone who heard understood. Su Zhe thought to herself: just as I suspected all along…

Gu Tong, who had been on the verge of unleashing a torrent of grievances, swallowed every last one back down at those two words and nearly choked himself. He drew several deep breaths and said, “So be it. These external things — things that came to you through you, and left you through you — there is nothing to regret.”

Zhù Ying asked in surprise, “Why do you say that?”

Su Zhe quietly tugged at the corner of Zhù Ying’s robe. She had seen it too — Gu Tong harbored resentment. Though they had received everything through Zhù Ying’s hand, they now also risked being implicated because of her, their future careers likely ruined, with the possibility of being charged and punished. That Gu Tong had not erupted was already remarkable.

“I have no intention of losing it,” Zhù Ying said.

Gu Tong choked on his own breath and coughed several times.

Su Zhe felt that this “grandmother” of hers was simply radiant. She asked, “What do you intend to do?”

“Simply start over. A forty-three-year-old Zhù Ying understands far more than a thirteen-year-old Zhù Ying, and has learned far more skills besides. I have no intention of dying tomorrow. The days ahead are still long. I will win back everything — mine, and yours as well.”

Gu Tong asked in astonishment, “Wh — what?”

Zhù Ying said, “When have I ever broken a promise I made to any of you?” Then she said, “Let us settle in for now. The few of you — continue the leave of absence you already had, to avoid suspicion. Little Sister and Danqing — you two don’t need to request leave; report that you are returning to your home region. With this many people suddenly living here, suspicion is sure to arise. Spread out. In half a month, Zhao Su — submit a memorial on my behalf.”

Zhao Su asked, “What memorial?”

Zhù Ying said, “Requesting an imperial appointment as county magistrate.”

“County magistrate?”

“Yes — for Zhù County.” Zhù Ying said.

Su Zhe’s eyes lit up at once, and then she exclaimed, “You want to go back to Wuzhou?!”

“Of course. Only by leaving the capital can I give the court cause to be wary. Only then will they not move lightly against anyone here. Only then will everyone be safe. Wuzhou is a vast territory — and west of Wuzhou, beyond the mountains, lie more mountains still, stretching all the way to the western border tribes. The western border envoys have not yet departed! Huo Yu has not yet been able to return to the capital. When I freed the slaves, the fathers of Danqing, Lin Feng, and Jin Yu were all indignant. Have the chieftains neighboring Wuzhou not been stirring up trouble recently? We must go back and hold the ground. Those who cannot be persuaded — there will be war. Just as with the Suoning family.”

Su Zhe said, “Why take the title of county magistrate? If you’re going to take anything, take the title of prefectural governor! County magistrate is far too light a rank.”

Zhù Ying said, “We must be patient. This is a loose-rein frontier arrangement.”

Zhao Su and Gu Tong also felt their spirits lift!

Gu Tong said, “If that’s the case, you don’t even need to leave the capital. The two Prime Ministers want to protect you — why not settle it face to face with them right now?”

“Why should I let them sit in judgment over me? Why wait for a further imperial edict pardoning me?” Zhù Ying asked with a smile. “Boundless imperial benevolence? On what grounds? They were already thinking of convicting me?”

Zhao Su bowed his head for a long while, then said quietly, “Adoptive — ah — adoptive father, I want to resign my post and return south with you.”

Gu Tong said, “You?”

Zhao Su nodded. “The way the court is now, even if I stayed and climbed higher, it would be immeasurably difficult. Better to go home.”

Zhù Ying said softly, “That is also well. The world is wide, and there is much to be done.”

Gu Tong was wrestling with his own heart and said nothing for a moment.

Zhù Ying said, “Very well — everyone, begin dispersing.”

Gu Tong reminded her, “Perhaps you should head south now.”

Zhù Ying shook her head. “Right now there are certain to be people heading south to search for me. We’ll let them search first, and then follow behind them at a leisurely pace. Oh — and have someone from the guild hall look in on the women’s section of the Court of Judicial Review’s prison for me.”

“Yes.”

Zheng Xi had spun his own story, yet he did not believe for a moment that Zhù Ying had “vanished into thin air.” Both he and Chen Meng knew Zhù Ying’s background well — her entire family were spiritualists and mediums.

For all his calculations, he had never anticipated that Zhù Ying could escape. Yet the entire women’s section insisted with one voice: the shackles had been put on at his own order, and the key was never in their hands — how could they have let her out?

On the other side, the Emperor was being consoled in turn by three women. Empress Dowager Mu made the most sensible argument: “Yet she has also done no small amount of good. To buy the bones of a thousand-gold horse — if one can tolerate a person like this, what could one not tolerate?”

The Emperor had not yet come around. Then Wang Shuliang came to report: the western border envoys were demanding that unless they could see Zhù Ying, they would not agree to the terms already nearly settled upon.

The court was in a state of restless unease. Certain factions aligned with Xian Jing had begun submitting memorials of impeachment, seeking to dig up her past. Some censors accused her of deceiving the Emperor. Some even demanded collective punishment — the interrogation, confiscation, and complete destruction of her household. They would not rest until three generations of her family had been wiped out.

Where would Zhù Ying’s three generations come from? Her family had all of three members — not one of them in custody.

There were also those who spoke up for her, arguing that the circumstances of her case were so supernatural as to fall under the category of things “the Master did not speak of,” and that pursuing the matter further was pointless — better to simply treat her as already dead.

The court was simultaneously negotiating with the western border envoys and dispatching people to capture Zhù Ying — and, unsurprisingly, both efforts came back empty-handed.

Half a month later, a memorial in Zhù Ying’s own hand was delivered to the Council of State.

Chen Meng opened it anxiously. Written inside were words addressed to the Emperor:

I am a woman; I am grateful for your magnanimity. I have returned to Wuzhou. In the past, when I served in Wuzhou, my work was reasonably good, and the people there have not abandoned me since I left. There are those willing to live alongside me; we have found a piece of land to cultivate. I feel that remaining beyond the court’s jurisdiction is ultimately not ideal. I am willing to serve as county magistrate. I ask you to recognize this place as belonging to the court. Grant me a loose-rein frontier status — that is all I need. I will guard the border well, and I ask you to believe that I have the ability to do so. After all, I have experience fighting border wars, and one grows accustomed to it — this will be the third time.

A great stone lifted from Chen Meng’s heart. Then he suddenly realized — Zhù County? An entire county established just like that? Without extensive prior groundwork, who would believe it?

He could not even decide whether to be angry. A malarial frontier zone, and someone actually capable of developing it — that was not nothing.

He conferred with Zheng Xi first. Zheng Xi said in fury, “She was talking about this twenty years ago and she still has it in mind?!”

Chen Meng said, “It also would not be the worst thing to have her as an outside ally.”

Zheng Xi looked at him. Chen Meng met his gaze without flinching, and gave a quiet, deliberate nod.

Zheng Xi said, “Go find Wang Shuliang. He probably knows something about this as well. Present the case to the Emperor together.”

“Good.”

Chen Meng and Wang Shuliang deliberated at length. Chen Meng approached the Emperor first. Keeping a female Prime Minister at court was something the Emperor could not bring himself to accept — but adding a loose-rein county magistrate in Wuzhou was an argument Chen Meng was able to bring before the Emperor. The Emperor then summoned Wang Shuliang. Wang Shuliang, at this moment thoroughly beset by the western border tribulations, also confirmed plainly that such a plan had indeed existed at one time — but Zhù Ying had been in Wuzhou for too many years, and had been called back.

“Besides,” Wang Shuliang added, “she is past forty now.”

The Emperor said, “An old woman, no sons, no daughters. So be it.”