Gu Weng and the others were ushered into the tent. Although they too had been elevated to the status of “honorary lords,” they still held their breath in careful composure. The two individuals already inside outranked them and had harder backing than they did; in the presence of these two, the visitors remained properly deferential.

Gu Weng cautiously raised his eyes for a quick glance toward the seat of honor — and was startled by what he saw, though immediately he thought it made perfect sense: Zhù Ying was seated above Shao Shuxin.

It was Zhù Ying who spoke first: “Please, everyone sit. You’ve all met this gentleman by now, I trust?”

Before anyone could take their seats, they first offered their greetings to Shao Shuxin, who said, “Please, sit.”

Only then did everyone settle. Among those present, some had nephews or sons who had been dismissed from office in this latest purge — Gu Weng was one such man — while others, like the father of Zhao Zhen, still held their posts. The Lei family was in a different position: their nephews and sons served in distant postings and had been spared this wave of fallout, though they too were uneasy, dreading that another wave might yet come.

Zhù Ying and Shao Shuxin exchanged a glance, then relayed to the assembled group what the two of them had just settled between themselves: “Everything carries on as before. Zhao Su and Xiang Yu will come down from the mountain to discuss matters with everyone.”

Gu Weng carefully ventured a question: “What about Prefect Jiang? He’s quite the formidable figure.”

Zhù Ying said, “Formidable in what way?”

Shao Shuxin still attempted a conciliatory word: “Jiang Zheng was dispatched here for a reason — he must have qualities that set him apart.”

Zhù Ying turned to face Shao Shuxin with full seriousness: “What a pity, then, that a man may surpass other men yet still cannot pass through Dragon Gate — who among us has the connections to clear a seat for him inside Chengtian Gate?”

Beyond Chengtian Gate lay all the offices and bureaus of the central court. A man of Jiang Zheng’s rank might reasonably expect a principal or deputy post in one of the Six Ministries or Nine Offices — but such positions, as a rule, were not particularly fond of being given to “outsiders.”

Shao Shuxin raised an eyebrow: “Quite right — he’s gone about as far as he’ll go. So we’re agreed, then?”

Zhù Ying gave a nod, then turned again to Gu Weng and the others: “As for Gu Tong and the rest of them — when the time comes to return, they should come home. There is no point in clinging to the capital and suffering other people’s cold contempt. I have been too protective of them all these years, and they have never truly experienced what it is to take a beating. Let this be a lesson they don’t forget — tell them to come back. As for those who remain at court: conduct yourselves honestly, do your work dutifully, and keep your heads down.”

“Yes.”

“Su Mingluan, Xiang Yu.”

The two stepped forward: “Here.”

“Work with these gentlemen to plan the routes, the manifests, and the relay stations. Arrange the trading matters in detail. As for how to cultivate relations with the newly arrived garrison officers, work that out together as well. Keep everything fair and above board.” The first part was addressed to Xiang Yu; the latter part was directed at Shao Shuxin: “Once you have your own end sorted out and know what you need from my side to coordinate, send word to me.”

Xiang Yu rose and acknowledged the instructions. Zhù Ying then pointed to Gu Weng and the others, gesturing for Xiang Yu to step aside with them to work out the details.

Shao Shuxin, in turn, pointed to two men behind him and said: “Going forward, any communication will come through these two. Taking stock of things on my end is its own headache — getting people to report accurate numbers is nearly impossible. By the time you have everything planned on your side, my side may not even have begun to move. But rest assured: wherever I am needed right now, I will spare no effort.”

Zhù Ying said, “Good. I will plan out your routes as well. When the time comes, you need only put them to use.”

Shao Shuxin gave a nod toward Gu Weng and the others as they rose to take their leave, and said, “Very well.”

The two of them watched Xiang Yu’s group depart, and then Zhù Ying said to Shao Shuxin: “The salt administration shouldn’t pose too great a problem for you. Your real difficulty is time.”

Shao Shuxin countered, “How so?”

Zhù Ying said: “The court is running short of money. Before I came south, popular uprisings were breaking out every other week — by now there are likely even more. Two options: either the court permits local authorities to suppress them on their own — which it would never allow except as a last resort — or the court dispatches troops, and then, well, the funds and provisions become yet another bottomless pit. Your mission here amounts to far more than simply restoring order to the salt trade.”

Shao Shuxin gave a rueful smile: “You see it all too clearly.” Now that she had laid it bare, there was nothing left for him to say. Faced with someone like this, cooperation was plainly the better course.

She might fall short in realizing her own ambitions, but she would assuredly be more than capable of ruining his. Shao Shuxin said no more.

Yet Zhù Ying still had words: “They have been intercepting my official dispatches. That matters little — I have my own means of obtaining them. But I suspect that what appears in the dispatches may not tell the whole story.”

Shao Shuxin said, “Very well. Any documents that come to me — I will have copies made for you. As for the salt trade, I hope you will continue to offer your guidance.”

Zhù Ying said, “Of course.”

Their meeting in Fulu County was no great secret. With the local gentry providing cover and with the neighboring Su Mingluan lending her cooperation from across the border, it was safe enough — but Shao Shuxin dared not linger. He left a courier behind and prepared to depart.

Zhù Ying smiled: “There is no rush. Nothing will happen to you here. This time, while the road is not as rugged as the mountain paths, it is still not an easy one. Set out now and you will surely take a tumble in the dark. Rest the night and leave at first light tomorrow — the road only gets brighter as you go.”

She prevailed upon him to stay for a meal. On the other side, Su Mingluan and Xiang Yu had worked out a rough framework with Gu Weng and the others. The first matter was how to evade the scrutiny of the authorities — something the local gentry were thoroughly practiced at, much like the concealment of undeclared land and unregistered households. Unless one happened to be dealing with a local official of Zhù Ying’s particular disposition, even if the court knew such things were happening, it could never catch hold of the evidence. Unless Jiang Zheng himself came to plant his feet here and keep watch in person, it would be nearly impossible to catch them in the act.

At the same time, Shao Shuxin’s side agreed to provide cover, on the grounds of “illicit salt.” Private salt was leaking out from the Wuzhou salt fields — using an inspection-and-suppression pretext, he could deploy personnel to muddy the waters.

The second matter was cultivating ties with the garrison troops who had come with Jiang Zheng — capturing the two battalion officers at the source. Zhù Ying carried a certain reputation in military circles; the soldiers now stationed here were not her old subordinates, but that was no great obstacle. Her name still carried weight. She had long been known for treating soldiers well. Combined with the local gentry and the Wuzhou side jointly offering a share of benefits to win over the officers, the goal was at minimum to ensure they would look the other way when nothing critical was at stake.

The third matter was “trade” — or, in plainer terms, smuggling. Fulu County was crawling with merchants; tallying cargo flow and total volume in any precise way was well-nigh impossible. The plan was simply to map out routes that avoided Jiang Zheng’s surveillance and to price everything at market rates. The frequency, previously a fairly free arrangement, would consolidate to once a month — a gathering at Zhù County’s mountain town for exchange. Outside the mountains, the gentry would primarily handle logistics. For the outward movement of goods, Shao Shuxin could also provide protection.

The fourth matter was “guild halls.” The Wuzhou guild hall had taken a blow, but the Fulu guild hall had not. When these halls had been in Zhù Ying’s hands earlier, they had already been restructured so that the buildings belonged to the county yamen, with merchants paying rent while the yamen asked no questions about any business conducted within — it simply collected the money. Since the yamen kept no records of their operations, Wuzhou could make full use of this shell for its commerce. Besides, the delineation of “Wuzhou” had shifted several times over the years, and Fulu County’s administrative boundaries had changed just as many times. Outsiders could simply never work out which local goods came from inside the mountains and which came from outside.

Beyond all that, there were communication channels and other details to work through. By the time Shao Shuxin departed, even the specific means of contact with his side had been arranged to everyone’s satisfaction.

Shao Shuxin had come away with a fresh understanding of Fulu County’s gentry — and yet there was nothing to be done about it. He still had to rely on these people to get things accomplished.

When he had arrived, it was Shao Shuxin who waited for Zhù Ying; when they parted, it was Zhù Ying who saw Shao Shuxin off. Once Shao Shuxin left Fulu County, he made no grand show of departure — he needed to stay out of Jiang Zheng’s sight.

When they were at last some distance away, a trusted aide drew close and said: “That one — can she be trusted? She didn’t even swear an oath. My lord, please take every care. If anything goes wrong this time, I fear you will not be able to account for it to Chancellor Zheng.”

Shao Shuxin said, “What oath would we need to swear? Everything here points to her as the pledge.”

“I worry that others may not be—” The loyal servant remained full of misgivings. “Prefect Jiang is no pushover either. These southerners may style themselves gentry, but they’ve picked up a merchant’s habits. Can they truly be counted on to remember their old loyalties?”

Shao Shuxin gave a smile: “Whether the others are trustworthy matters little. As long as Zhù Zichang can be trusted, that is enough. There is genuine loyalty there — and those people’s sons and nephews still depend on Zhù Zichang for their official careers. They will follow her lead.”

The servant clicked his tongue: “Can she actually make a comeback? That seems rather too…”

Shao Shuxin said, “You talk too much.”

The servant fell silent, his inner confusion deepening. Shao Shuxin’s trusted household retainer was no fool — he had seen and experienced more than most. Arranging things for one or two people was one thing, but the southerners had taken a catastrophic blow as a group; there were so many of them now. How could all of them be taken care of? If Zhù Ying were still a chief minister, it would not be so difficult. But now?

The servant did not believe it possible.

Gu Weng and the others, however, believed it with complete and unwavering conviction.

Truly, there was no other road open to them. The thinking of Shao Shuxin’s household retainer was not wrong either — for one or two people, perhaps it could be managed. But for a whole crowd, looking at one another with cold, deflated hearts — it was a different matter entirely.

For the moment, Zhù Ying’s side was the most reliable thing they had. She had been reliable for twenty years; there was no reason to stop trusting her now.

The group reddened around the eyes before her: “These past few years, you have always stayed in the mountains and refused to come out. We feared you had grown disheartened, that you had retired to cultivate yourself in the hills and were done with the human world beyond.”

Old Man Zhao said: “Now that you have come out of the mountains, we will still follow your lead.”

Lei Bao added: “Without a word from you, on the strength of young Master Xiang alone, we would never have dared to defy the Prefect.”

One by one they declared themselves — every last one affirmed their intention to continue standing by Zhù Ying.

Zhù Ying said: “From the day I first came to Fulu, I said I wanted to help everyone live well. That has not changed. Since you are all willing, then we continue together. Speak plainly with me about this trading arrangement — do you want it, or do you not?”

The Widow Chang’s position was resolute: “Prefect Jiang says that as long as we do not trade with Wuzhou, all else will remain as before. But if the Wuzhou trade is gone, what exactly is ‘as before’?”

The others echoed the sentiment.

They had all grown accustomed to the trading arrangements; everyone had their own mental ledger. Even those whose children held official posts had no desire to abandon the commerce. Fulu County’s native products were things like the local Fulu tangerines; Jiyuan Prefecture’s most celebrated sugar was made in Fulu, but not in great quantity. Mountain goods constituted a significant portion of Fulu’s trade, and they were unwilling to have that source of income cut off.

Moreover, though Jiang Zheng treated the gentry with courtesy, he could offer no guarantees for their sons’ and nephews’ official careers. Empty promises were something everyone had learned about over the years. The only person who had ever truly delivered on pledges regarding official advancement was Zhù Ying, and no one else. Previous prefects and governors had tried to make inroads through the gentry’s channels, but the results had always been disheartening.

Zhù Ying said: “Good. Then we proceed as discussed. When Shao Shuxin sends word, the matter of transporting the salt will also be placed in your hands.”

Everyone agreed.

Zhù Ying shared a meal with the assembled group before they each went their separate ways.

As the gentry departed, Zhù Ying turned to Su Mingluan and said: “Little Sister, I will be taking her west with me. There will be danger. Do you understand?”

Su Mingluan said: “Born into my family, born as a daughter — when has there not been danger?”

“Good. I understand.”

The two parted ways, and Zhù Ying’s party traveled day and night, returning to the mountain town by the following day.

When Zhù Ying stepped through the gate of the Prefect’s residence, the sun was already nearly overhead and the midday meal was almost ready — yet she gathered everyone in the household together: “Let’s finish our business first, then eat.”

Xiang Yu then gave a brief account of what had been negotiated.

Wu Ren said, “Those people are decent enough.”

Zhao Su said, “Decent? What a naive thing to say.”

Wu Ren and Zhao Su had grown acquainted enough by now. She retorted: “What do you mean, not decent? It’s easy to add flowers to embroidery, but rare to send charcoal in a snowstorm. Willing to trade behind Prefect Jiang’s back at a time like this — that’s saying something.”

Zhao Su shook his head: “The trade — yes, there’s risk, but there’s also profit. And the risk may not even be as real as it seems. The entire Jiyuan Prefecture, out of respect for Grandmaster’s face, won’t report anyone. What genuine danger is there? Don’t you see? They haven’t staked any more on our side. Their daughters — not sent back. Their sons — not sent here either.”

Wu Ren was taken aback: “Then what are we to do?”

Zhù Ying said to Zhao Su: “Since the external trade of the individual counties has been cut off, let the goods continue to come here for exchange. You coordinate that.”

Zhao Su promptly agreed, then added: “I can handle the assignments and arrangements. I only fear my authority may not carry enough weight — you will still need to appear in person.”

“Have the Old Madam preside, and you do the talking.”

Huajie had been listening quietly throughout. When she heard the instruction to have Zhang Xiangu “preside,” she felt a sudden unease and asked: “And you — what about you?”

Zhù Ying said: “Private trade is only enough to maintain the current situation. Merely maintaining is not enough — we need to break out of it.”

“Qingjun!” said Huajie.

“That’s right — I need to go there in person.”

“Why?” asked Huajie. “Qingjun is—”

Zhù Ying said: “It is not that Qingjun is inadequate. It is that one Qingjun is not enough. Her talents, if you have her hold the rear, are wasted — better to let her lead the charge at the front. But she does not dare leave Gan County exposed. I need to go and hold Gan County, so she can fight with her hands truly free. As for this place — keep the home in order!”

Zhao Su said gravely: “A’Lian is reliable. Gan County will be fine with him.”

Zhù Ying said: “Of course he is reliable. But he may not be able to command the full confidence of everyone. Besides, he has other tasks to carry out. Little Sister will come with me as well. Lin Feng stays behind — you can keep an eye on him, can’t you?”

Zhao Su smiled: “That I can certainly manage.”