A true man standing seven feet tall — how could he apologize to his wife in front of everyone’s watchful eyes?

Don’t even think about it!

If Li Wu yielded today, how would he command anyone’s respect in the future?

So, he apologized in the bedroom.

He sat dejectedly on a round stool, his hands resting stiffly on his knees, the very picture of a meek and subdued little spouse.

Shen Zhuxi, a medicinal plaster stuck to her chin, paced before him, venting her frustration for the length of an entire incense stick.

Although she was furious, the ridiculous plaster on her chin made it absolutely necessary for Li Wu to force his gaze away from it.

Otherwise he would laugh, and then there would be no end to this matter.

Did he not feel tender toward her?

Of course he did.

But even as his heart ached for her… he still wanted to laugh.

When he had applied that plaster with his own hands, he had not anticipated that the thing would look so comical on her silly face.

“…When I’m out distributing aid to the disaster victims, sometimes I get so busy I even forget to put on my veiled hat. What if someone recognizes me and tells Fu Xuanmiao? This is such a serious matter — why did you keep it from me?” Shen Zhuxi said, her face flushed with anger.

“People who have fallen so low as to need relief aid would not know Fu Xuanmiao…” Li Wu muttered.

“What did you say?” Shen Zhuxi stopped walking and turned to look at him with a furrowed brow.

“I said —” Li Wu straightened his back, his manner impeccably respectful, “Madam is absolutely right!”

“Do you truly understand your mistake?” Shen Zhuxi asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

“I do, I do.” Li Wu nodded like a little chick pecking at grain.

His attitude was so proper and earnest that Shen Zhuxi could find nothing more to say.

She paused for a good long moment, then took a step toward Li Wu, whose expression had grown uneasy in the silence. She had intended to appear breezy and unconcerned, yet her face betrayed her — a bright, eager delight rose unbidden to her features.

“I have some good news to tell you…”

Shen Zhuxi gathered her thoughts and recounted the whole affair — the five hundred thousand taels of gold she had… squeezed out of someone — from beginning to end.

She had originally wanted to share the joy of securing funds for the relief work. Li Wu was indeed overjoyed, though his reasons were quite different from what Shen Zhuxi had expected.

“You can never go back now… Won’t you have regrets?” Li Wu said.

“Did you think what I said before was false?” Shen Zhuxi asked, startled.

Before her words had even faded, Li Wu pulled her into his arms.

“…I believe you.” He held her tightly, as though he had no intention of ever letting go. “You must believe me too — I will not let you regret this.”

After a moment, Shen Zhuxi placed her hands on his shoulders and said solemnly:

“I will not regret it.”

……

Two days later, the agreed-upon banknotes were delivered to the Li residence. Three days after that, the allied forces set out from the Baili Plains, and an obscure soldier of humble birth was appointed as the new Military Commissioner of Zhenchuan. Li Wu, serving as a prefectural governor under the Military Commissioner’s jurisdiction, received orders to assist the newly appointed Commissioner, Xu You, in restoring order to the disaster-stricken territories under his command.

The vast army passed through the outskirts of Xiangyang County. The footsteps of hundreds of thousands of soldiers made the very earth tremble. The troops stretched from horizon to horizon like a ferocious black serpent.

Shen Zhuxi stood atop the city walls wearing a veiled hat, tears in her eyes as she watched the imperial procession — surrounded and escorted by the great army — slowly grow distant.

This was perhaps the closest the Crown Prince, her elder brother, would ever be to her from now on.

Perhaps that offhand gift had long since been buried and forgotten in the depths of his memory, yet Shen Zhuxi held it fast in her heart. She had always hoped that once her Crown Prince elder brother ascended to the throne, he would shoulder the future of Great Yan and restore its former glory.

Her own strength was insignificant, yet even so, she wished to bear her share of responsibility — to contribute with her own flesh and blood to upholding the collapsing fortunes of Great Yan.

The banknotes were converted into five hundred thousand taels of gold and flowed into the Xiangzhou treasury, then were swiftly distributed among the various disaster relief projects.

In the region surrounding the capital, Xiangzhou was the only prefecture actively providing disaster relief. Victims displaced by the floods that had submerged four prefectures came pouring in, and those who had previously been turned away due to limited space and resources were gradually being accommodated in the days that followed.

There were simply too many disaster victims. The numbers Xiangzhou had already taken in were no small figure, to say nothing of the vast numbers of homeless victims still on their way, having heard the news.

Li Wu paid no mind to how much flowed out of the treasury each day. He had placed the entire financial authority of the prefecture in the hands of Shen Zhuxi and the administrative officials. When Shen Zhuxi was furrowing her brow with worry, he even turned around to comfort her, saying, “Gold squandered will come back again — if there’s no money, I’ll just go and find some more.”

Relieving the disaster victims was Shen Zhuxi’s initiative, and she had no wish to keep burdening Li Wu. To that end, her bedroom was covered everywhere in papers filled with calculations and crumpled up drafts. Each day she was kept so busy doing nothing but clicking away at the abacus that she had no time to spare. In the past, when Li Wu returned home she would excitedly rush to the main gate to greet him. Now, even when Li Wu walked into the bedroom, she would only bury her head and keep clacking away at her abacus.

Li Wu came in and chattered noisily away. Li Wu left. Li Wu came back and chattered noisily away again.

Li Kun arrived carrying a bowl of noodles for a look around. Li Kun left. Li Kun came back holding a chicken leg for another look around.

Li Que brought in a cup of hot tea. Li Que left. Li Que returned with a plate of osmanthus cakes.

Xiao Hu came and sprawled across the desk to sleep. Xiao Hu woke up and left. Xiao Hu came back again for an afternoon nap.

With each passing day, Shen Zhuxi’s anxiety deepened a little more.

There were countless mouths waiting to be fed. Every moment of rest meant an unceasing outflow of silver from the treasury. Yet if she plugged the treasury’s leaks, it would leave countless people suffering from hunger and cold. Once the cold wave arrived, the disaster victims would face something far worse than empty stomachs.

Shen Zhuxi had to find a solution quickly — one that would ensure the disaster victims were properly settled, without running the Xiangzhou treasury into the ground under the weight of expenses too enormous to bear.

She searched through every local gazetteer she could find and decided to draw on the historical method of using labor in place of relief.

Using labor in place of relief was only one of her objectives. What Shen Zhuxi truly wanted to obtain was the pool of skilled talent that the four disaster-stricken prefectures had lost.

Xiangzhou had already suffered one round of turmoil earlier on, and the previous prefectural governor Fan Wei’s insatiable corruption had left Xiangzhou bereft of capable people. If she could seize this opportunity to attract skilled individuals from the other prefectures to settle in Xiangzhou, it might not yield much benefit in the short term, but in the long run it would play a crucial role in Xiangzhou’s development.

Having made up her mind, she summoned the administrative officials of the prefectural seat overnight to draft and draw up an enrollment policy targeted at disaster victims.

Tents, food, and medicine would no longer be distributed unconditionally. But almost every person who was earnestly making a living had one or several skills to fall back on, and those who truly went hungry under the new relief policy remained a small minority.

Three days after the new policy was implemented, Shen Zhuxi brought Tiniang and a few household attendants up to the city walls to inspect the situation of the disaster victims outside Xiangyang County.

Compared to the chaotic scene of the preceding days, the resettlement area outside the walls was now more than half empty.

A great number of disaster victims had successfully settled in Xiangzhou on the strength of their various skills. The newly arrived victims were also being registered and assessed in an orderly manner. Once they obtained official permission, they too could enter the various towns and cities under Xiangzhou’s jurisdiction as residents of Xiangzhou.

Shen Zhuxi stood atop the city walls and looked on with a warm feeling of satisfaction at the orderly scene below.

Tiniang teased her: “Madam can finally sleep soundly now.”

“It’s still early days,” Shen Zhuxi said. “With so many people pouring into Xiangzhou, trouble will come if they can’t find work.”

“But it’s not as if we can conjure work for them out of thin air,” Tiniang said.

“Land clearing, road building, and the various embankments that have fallen into disrepair over the years… Prices are up right now and labor costs are down. We might as well take this chance to repair everything that needs repairing.” Shen Zhuxi pondered for a moment, then said, “But this matter needs someone of the prefectural official rank to step forward — only then will the county officials below fall in line.”

“That’s simple enough,” Tiniang laughed. “Other people who want to ask a favor of the prefectural governor have to beg their fathers and call out to heaven. All Madam needs to do is whisper a few words on the pillow.”

“Let’s go — while the market is still open.” Shen Zhuxi smiled and said, “Stop at the tavern and buy a good jar of wine, and pick up a few braised pig’s trotters.”

Shen Zhuxi descended from the city walls. A man in a long robe, who seemed to have been leaning against the city wall for quite some time, stepped forward and gave her a slow, deep bow.

Bearing in mind what had happened before with Yang Liu, Tiniang and the household attendants immediately closed ranks around Shen Zhuxi as though facing a great threat. Tiniang even opened her mouth, ready to call out to the nearby guards.

The man raised his head. Shen Zhuxi was startled, and quickly grabbed Tiniang before the scream could escape her lips.

“Assistant Prefect Fang?” Shen Zhuxi looked at the man before her in astonishment.

“I have long since ceased to be any kind of assistant prefect.” Fang Tingzhi gave a self-deprecating smile.

“What is this…” Shen Zhuxi looked at him with bewilderment.

More than a year had passed since they last parted, and Fang Tingzhi was no longer the imposing official he had once been. He wore a long robe washed to a pale, faded color. His hair was bound with a strip of dark blue cloth. On his feet were the most ordinary black boots. He seemed to have aged considerably, and his face wore a look of weariness.

“When we parted ways back then, I was confident Fan Wei would bring about his own destruction, so before long I also abandoned my official post and fled. After drifting around for over a year, I could not shake my longing for home, so I returned to Xiangzhou once more. Little did I expect that the Madam of Xiangzhou, whose benevolent reputation has spread in all directions, would turn out to be none other than an old acquaintance —”

Fang Tingzhi said in a grave, earnest voice: “I am fully aware of my grave sins and transgressions. I humbly beseech Madam to give me a chance to redeem myself and start anew. I wonder whether Madam might be magnanimous enough to overlook the wrongs of a lesser man and forgive my past mistakes?”

First came surprise, then silence from Shen Zhuxi.

After a long pause, she said: “The one you owe an apology to is the people of Xiangzhou, not me. You were complicit in wrongdoing, and it was these innocent people who suffered the most.”

“Madam is right. I drew a government salary yet failed in my duty of loyalty. In those days I lost my way, and for the sake of advancing my career I helped that corrupt official prey upon the common people. I was unworthy of being called human — I deserve ten thousand deaths —”

Fang Tingzhi suddenly dropped to his knees and kowtowed deeply to Shen Zhuxi, his forehead striking the ground several times in succession.

“What are you doing!” Shen Zhuxi cried out in alarm. “Get up quickly!”

“The four prefectures have met with calamity, and all the realm mourns. Madam’s virtue and conduct are of the highest order — I am ashamed of my own unworthiness by comparison! I have studied hard for over twenty years, and I cannot bear to stand by and do nothing any longer. I beg Madam to show leniency and allow me the opportunity to atone for my sins!”

Fang Tingzhi finished speaking, then once again knocked his head against the ground several times with a loud thud.

Watching his forehead begin to bleed, Shen Zhuxi hurried forward to help him to his feet.

“Mr. Fang, please get up quickly —”

Fang Tingzhi was one of the rare officials in Xiangzhou who possessed genuine ability and was willing to do real work. The fact that he had once helped Fan Wei in his corrupt schemes proved he was not the sort of rigid, self-righteous man who held himself above others. Only a person like that could work alongside Li Wu — a man of humble and lowly origins — in a steady and practical manner.

When Fang Tingzhi had served at Fan Wei’s side, he had been a willing accomplice in wrongdoing. But if he could now be put to use in the service of Xiangzhou, he might prove to be a considerable asset —

And with Fang Tingzhi around, those officials in the prefectural seat who drew government salaries without doing any real work could gradually be replaced.

Shen Zhuxi suppressed her inner delight and put on a show of hesitation for a moment before relenting. She agreed to receive Fang Tingzhi back into the fold after Li Wu had assessed and approved of him.

Fang Tingzhi was overjoyed and gave another deep bow.

After arranging matters with Fang Tingzhi, Shen Zhuxi rushed home, eager to tell Li Wu the good news. Of course — she had not forgotten to purchase good wine and good trotters along the way.

After buying the wine and food from Jiu Niang’s place, she reasoned it would be unfair to show favor to one and neglect another, so she also went to Sui’s Chicken Shop to buy two roasted chickens.

Sui’s Chicken Shop always had a queue.

Although Shen Zhuxi could have skipped the line on account of her friendship with Sui Rui, she still put on her veiled hat and dutifully joined the end of the queue.

When it was finally her turn, she lifted a corner of the veil and flashed Sui Rui a playful smile.

She only wanted to say hello to Sui Rui.

She did not expect that after taking the roasted chicken back to the carriage, Tiniang would cry out in alarm: “Madam, how did you end up with three roasted chickens!”

Inside the lotus-leaf parcel that Shen Zhuxi had assumed contained one especially plump roasted chicken, there were in fact two chickens. Together with the chicken in the other lotus-leaf parcel, the total came to three: Shen Zhuxi had bought two, and Sui Rui had gifted one.

“That Xiao Rui, really…” Shen Zhuxi said, caught between exasperation and amusement.

So many roasted chickens, and so many braised pig’s trotters too, and she had also bought quite a lot of wine just now, wanting to give more business to Jiu Niang…

Well, in that case —

“Why don’t we invite everyone to the residence for a simple meal tonight!” Shen Zhuxi said.

No sooner said than done. She immediately began drawing up the guest list: Li Wu’s three brothers were indispensable; the San Hu siblings, who had contributed so greatly to the relief effort, ought to be there too; Fan Sanniang, Hu Yishou, Jiu Niang, and Sui Rui, who had taken care of her in so many ways… And the countless ordinary soldiers who had paddled rafts deep into dangerous waters to rescue people — although the Li residence could not accommodate all of them, it was well within reach to add a drumstick to their dinner tonight…

Shen Zhuxi calculated it all carefully, growing happier the more she thought about it, almost wishing she could fly straight to the banquet that very evening.

When the carriage pulled up at the gate of the Li residence, Shen Zhuxi happened to catch sight of a servant leading Li Wu’s three brothers’ horses toward the rear courtyard.

Shen Zhuxi’s spirits leapt with joy. Lifting the hem of her skirt, she walked briskly through the main gate.

“Li Wu!”

In the courtyard, the slender osmanthus tree seemed to have grown just a little taller. The last of the autumn golden osmanthus blossoms hung sparsely from the branches.

A gentle breeze drifted through, and the final scattered fragments of gold drifted down.

A faint, elusive fragrance of osmanthus dissolved into the air.