Cao Chang tossed and turned in his bed, steeling himself to do his job well.

Though the place was unfamiliar to him, the bedding was very comfortable. Half the night of steeling himself wore him out at last, and he fell asleep.

He slept until everyone in the entire house was awake. Old Tian, a kindhearted man, came to wake him!

Old Tian had planned to leave today. This stint had worked out well for him — even if it had delayed the field work a little, the new bedding and the salvaged building materials from the demolition were a decent windfall. He rose early today and rolled up his bedroll, then looked back and felt something wasn’t right.

Where was that young fellow?

Out in the courtyard, the mistress of the house was already up!

Even giving him the benefit of every doubt, you couldn’t be this lazy! This boy — what a false-looking honest face he had! Slacking off on the very first day?

Cao Chang had his own room in the north section of the side courtyard, with the door bolted from the inside for the night. Old Tian ran around and pounded on the door: “Up with you! The sun’s burning your backside! What kind of place does a servant have letting the master wait?”

Cao Chang was a straightforward child; Old Tian’s shout jolted him awake and he was in a daze for a moment: “Wha—?! Oh!” He jumped out of bed and yanked the door open.

Old Tian looked at him and his anger melted away: “Your shoes!”

Cao Chang went back to the bed and slipped on his shoes, then realized he hadn’t put on his outer clothes. In the fumbling rush to get dressed, he felt thoroughly wretched: on the very first day, he seemed to have made a mess of things.

Old Tian had spent all of last evening drinking with Zhù Da and was still very much on the side of the household at this moment; he scolded: “What? Never slept in a good house or on a good bed before?”

Cao Chang’s face went red. “That’s not it,” he said quietly.

Cao Chang had slept in fine houses before — his aunt’s family lived quite well — but he was an honest child raised by his own parents, and though he admired it, he never constantly sought out his aunt’s home to stay. Back in his own little corner, he was perfectly content. The times he’d slept in fine houses were few, and when he’d come to leave, he had no particular reluctance. He felt he was in the wrong here and made no excuses; he dressed quickly, didn’t bother folding the quilt, and went straight to tend the horses. He had kept animals at home, and his cousin Gan Ze had explained how to do things: including, ultimately, how to get along with a master. The key point was always to be quick with your hands and alert with your eyes. He had already overslept — so he had better get the work done first! He went to the saddle room, gathered the tack, and got the horse ready for when the mistress needed to go out.

Old Tian looked at this and found there was nothing more to say, only wishing regretfully that if this was all the work involved, his own family could have spared someone to do it.

At this point, Zhù Ying had already gotten up and tidied herself. She had slept the night in the study on the second floor and found it quite comfortable. She folded the bedding, dressed, and then leapt from the upper floor straight down, landing at the back of the house to wash up. The household had one sweet-water well freshly dug, in the female servants’ courtyard. There was also one original ordinary well in the male servants’ courtyard, convenient for watering the horses and for the male servants to carry water out.

Zhù Ying went to the rear rooms to fetch a washbasin of water. Du Dajie had already risen and boiled a large pot of sweet-water well water for the whole household’s drinking. Seeing Zhù Ying, she said, “Third Young Master — I’ve already drawn and boiled the water. It’s in the vat over there, ready to use.”

Zhù Ying drew a basin of water and didn’t bother mixing in hot water to temper it. She wiped her face; then she went to the kitchen, took out a cup, scooped water to rinse her teeth. Zhù Da and Zhang Xiangu had been too excited to settle all night, and now lay half-awake. Zhang Xiangu shoved her foot into Zhù Da: “Quick — go buy breakfast!”

Zhù Da tumbled to the floor and came awake: “Woman!”

But once on his feet, he realized — because he didn’t like this place and hadn’t been over to look around, he had never taken note of where to buy breakfast nearby. He said, “We’re in trouble — what about Third’s breakfast?”

Zhang Xiangu sat bolt upright, then suddenly remembered and pressed her hand to her forehead. “I think there’s still something in the kitchen.”

Yesterday’s banquet had been ordered from outside and was all cleared away; but she had also packed up whatever leftover food, firewood, and charcoal hadn’t been used from the old place.

The two rushed to the kitchen, where they found the other three already up. Du Dajie had taken out the large pot sent by the Left Supervisory Official and had started a pot of porridge and was making flatbreads. Huajie was cutting pickled vegetables. Zhù Ying was shooed out, then went to fill up the water vat, and when she saw the others said, “Cao Chang over there also doesn’t have sweet water — it won’t be easy for him to come and get it.”

Zhù Da said, “I’ll bring him a bucket shortly.”

Zhang Xiangu felt sorry for him and said, “What are you getting into? His side also has a large vat, doesn’t it? You just go with him later, have him come and carry over a vat.”

Du Dajie finished cooking the porridge, poured it all into a large copper pot, and said, “I need his courtyard’s water for washing clothes too!”

“Don’t worry,” Zhang Xiangu said. “There’s only a handful of us — just use the sweet-water well here. Dirty water, pour it out the side door into the channel outside.”

Having just moved in, everyone had many things to adjust to. Zhù Da said, “I’ll take this pot over — some food for Old Tian and them. Some greens too, and some flatbreads.”

Zhù Ying fetched a large tray from the storeroom and loaded everything, saying, “Let me take it over.”

“I’ll carry it with you,” Zhù Da said, picking up the chopsticks and bowls too.

Zhù Ying and he went to the stable together, where they found Cao Chang had already gotten the horse ready, though the boy himself looked disheveled. “You go wash up first, get dressed, then eat,” she said. “Old Tian — come, take this. You two go eat inside.”

She turned back to the inner rooms and rummaged through a small toiletry box she used to keep things in — mirror, comb, and a hairpin inside — and planned to give it to Cao Chang.

Coming out, she ran into Zhang Xiangu coming from the kitchen to call her for breakfast, who asked, “What do you have that for?”

“Oh — I saw Cao Chang had no toiletry case, looking unkempt…”

Zhang Xiangu snatched the case from her hands, opened it, looked at it, and said, “How can you give your things to a man?” She went and fetched the set she had put together for Zhù Da to make do with, and also took out a head cloth she had prepared for Zhù Da, saying, “This is fine. Now go eat!”

Zhù Ying smiled and let her go.

Cao Chang had never seen a man of the countryside worry about a toiletry case. He stood there holding it with no idea what to do with his hands. Zhang Xiangu said, “Oh, goodness — when we were on our way to the capital all those years ago, Gan Dalang looked out for us a great deal. Here, good child, take it — now go tidy yourself up quickly and come eat!” She seized Zhù Da and pulled him away.

Going back, she didn’t say a word to Zhù Ying but instead said, “Whatever’s left, we’ll handle. You just concentrate on doing your job.”

She was smiling as she said it. Having spent one night in the house, she had already formed an attachment to it and was making new plans. She also said to Zhù Ying, “If there’s anything you don’t want us to touch, tell us. We won’t go near it.”

“There’s nothing I don’t want touched. Just the books in the study — I know how I’ve arranged them. Leave those alone. Everything else, as you like.”

“Fine!”

——

After breakfast, Old Tian tried to play the wise elder and show Cao Chang to wash the bowls. But Cao Chang turned out to be a plain-dealing child and took Old Tian’s bowl along with his own to wash.

Old Tian said, “Now that’s more like it. Some alertness. What a fine household!”

Cao Chang felt the same way. The mistress was more capable and decisive than his aunt. “She really is,” he agreed.

The Cao family had only Cao Chang and his sister, not counting siblings who had died young before them. Now even his sister was gone, and only he remained — he had to do his best, so he could support his parents in their old age. Those few mu of land at home could barely feed the family; no one could afford to fall ill. He needed to make good use of his youth and save up against his parents’ future illnesses. This family seemed decent; he wanted to stay.

With the bowls washed, he stood in the inner gateway with them, unsure what to do. The gateway stood half-open and he didn’t dare go through, so he stood outside and called, “Elder Sister — the bowls are clean.”

Du Dajie came running over. “Oh, I could have done that! Just leave it to me.”

Zhù Da came out and said, “Come with me — I’ll draw you a bucket of sweet water to keep in your quarters. Don’t drink the brackish water.”

Cao Chang said, “When I came I saw there’s a sweet-water well not far outside. Getting in and out here isn’t convenient for me, and I don’t drink much on my own — so I’ll just go from outside and…”

Zhù Ying came out carrying her meal box and said, “Don’t be foolish — when you come back later, come in through the side gate. Draw a bucket, bring it through the small gate to your quarters — isn’t that easier than queuing up outside with other people for water?”

There was no sweet-water well in every house here; once many people needed to draw water, there would be a queue.

Cao Chang laughed. “Oh! Right!”

Very naturally, he took the meal box from Zhù Ying’s hands and said, “I’ll go get the horse — you leave from the main gate, and I’ll bring the horse out through the small gate.”

“Let’s go,” Zhù Ying said. “No need to go to that trouble.” She moved toward the small gate. Old Tian and Zhù Da both stopped her; they cared deeply about this sort of thing. “Hey — new house! How can the mistress leave through the small gate?” They saw her out through the main gate. Zhù Da also said, “We can manage here — I’ll send Old Tian on his way.”

“Don’t forget what you’re supposed to give him,” Zhù Ying said.

Old Tian said, “Oh, master — don’t worry about me forgetting before I forget my own things.”

Cao Chang was outside with the horse waiting. Zhù Ying rode; Cao Chang carried the meal box and followed on foot.

Zhù Ying felt faintly uncomfortable and thought: at the very least, I should get him a donkey to ride.

But Cao Chang saw nothing wrong with it — wasn’t this exactly what he had come to do? At least Zhù Ying wasn’t galloping off and leaving him to eat dust behind her. He pushed to keep up with the horse, anxious she not be late. Zhù Ying said, “Aren’t you tired?”

Cao Chang looked up and smiled. “I’m all right.”

His family, though down to only him, had never been able to coddle him — he could turn his hand to everything.

Not long and they reached the outer wall of the imperial city. They hadn’t even been late, and Gan Ze was already there deliberately waiting. He greeted Zhù Ying first, then glanced at his cousin, and said, “Not bad.” Then asked Zhù Ying, “He didn’t cause any trouble?”

“I’ll find him a donkey in the next day or two,” Zhù Ying said.

Gan Ze said, “You’ve never managed servants before, I can tell.” In the Zheng household, which had money, only some of the higher-ranking servants got to use animals for travel at all; at other times, servants walked. Let alone the case of some poor minor official — the official himself had to put on a dignified face, whatever money there was, so the servants made do with their legs.

“I can still afford it,” Zhù Ying said.

“Wait for a day or two before you rush,” Gan Ze said. “If you’re desperate for one, you end up with something poor, or you overpay. Besides, let him walk a few rounds first — good for both the horse getting used to him and him getting used to the route. Otherwise the horse might one day trot back to Elder Brother Jin’s house. If during the day you need someone to run errands, send word to me.”

“Done.”

Zhù Ying had no distractions and wasn’t worried about her parents making a mess of things at home — there was a limit to the mess they could make. You often heard stories of minor officials’ parents planting vegetables and pulling up flowering trees. Her parents wouldn’t do that — they simply had no idea how to farm. At worst they’d sing and dance, but with such a large courtyard, there was plenty of room to dance in.

At the Court of Judicial Review, there were another round of congratulations, and another round of thanks.

Then everyone went back to work.

While busy with her own house, Zhù Ying had never let official duties slip. She wrapped up her backlog of miscellaneous duties quickly. The keys for the shop properties had already been in her hands, and the work was completed — but she planned to put them on the Court’s books in another half a month.

After a while, another Deputy Chief sent an assistant over with case files he had reviewed, for her to countersign. She also passed her own reviewed cases to the others to sign. She spotted two assignments, considered them, and decided to assign one again to the Left Supervisory Official and the other to Su Kuang. As a person, Su Kuang was still useful to Zheng Xi; there was no reason for her to step on him.

Just as she finished arranging this, Zheng Xi returned. She had been noticing something off about him lately, and it was now that she was struck by it: of course — a man about to take a wife would normally show some happiness, wouldn’t he? And it was also strange: any household preparing to host a wedding would need to start preparations well in advance — the servants aside, the Marquis’ household was fully staffed; there would be tent-raising, musicians, all manner of wedding gifts… and the six rites. None of this had she heard about!

And then there was Liu Songnian — that man didn’t appear to be on especially close terms with Zheng Xi! Could it be that this “uncle-by-marriage-to-be” disapproved? Or was there some other situation?

Since Zheng Xi didn’t show it, Zhù Ying didn’t ask — she just carried on with her usual report.

How was Zheng Xi to know how much she had been thinking? He only asked mildly how the move to the new house had gone.

“My father and mother have stopped scolding me,” Zhù Ying said. “So, well enough.”

“Is that so?” Zheng Xi said. “Go and put your mind to the work at hand. These past two months I’ve made allowances since you were settling in, but don’t expect it to stay this easy.”

Zhù Ying thought: I haven’t let anything slip. But she answered quietly, “Yes.”

She was convinced Zheng Xi must be dealing with something! But this time not even Yang Sanlang could supply any information — if he had anything, he would have come running over long before now.

Zhù Ying had no choice but to wait until after work, when she planned to step out first and ask Gan Ze. Gan Ze said quietly, “You’re asking about this? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t let it out?”

“When did I let it out? I’m only asking why nothing has been seen of it yet.”

Gan Ze said, “The bride’s family hasn’t arrived in the capital yet. The formal betrothal gift hasn’t even been sent — how could anything be said? That’s why it needs to be kept quiet. Once the new Madam has entered the city, then we can start preparing.”

“Don’t brush me off. I’ll wager the bride’s family hasn’t made up their minds either. When a father was alive he could settle everything; with him gone, all the uncles, aunts, and cousins can put their oar in. With so many opinions involved, it can’t be easy. And from what I can see, Liu Songnian doesn’t look terribly warm about it.”

Gan Ze waved his hands urgently. “Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it! The point is — whether it’s this person or another, someone will come. Sanlang can’t stay alone forever. The household needs a woman.”

“Understood,” Zhù Ying said. The picture was close enough to what she had guessed.

“Whatever Sanlang sets out to do, it will be done,” Gan Ze said.

“Noted.” You probably don’t know that a forced melon isn’t sweet — but then, I don’t think he’s foolish enough for that. Whatever the case, I have shops in my hands; I’ll hold onto them!

Cao Chang came over with the horse, ready to help Zhù Ying mount. She had already sprung up and settled firmly on the horse’s back. Cao Chang stared in disbelief.

“Let’s go,” Zhù Ying said. “To the mule market — have a look around.”

Gan Ze said, “What’s the rush? Buy in haste and get poor quality, or pay too much. Let him walk a couple of days first — also lets the horse and boy get used to each other. Besides, servants don’t need to be treated so fine.”

Zhù Ying smiled, and took Cao Chang off to walk the mule market in a circle, looking over several dealers. She was thinking: even if Cao Chang doesn’t need one, when she went to the market to buy things herself, she wasn’t going to carry them in her own arms, was she? She needed a donkey to carry a couple of pannier baskets. Having finally set up a proper home, it made sense to sort everything out at once.

One circuit of the market, and she spotted two donkeys. Cao Chang had kept animals before and said one of them was good. He said, “Better to have a gelded one — they don’t bite at the manger.”

Zhù Ying put down a deposit on that one, arranging for Cao Chang to come with the money to collect it the next day.

She had bought land and built a house, and then ordered the banquet dinner and other things — with a small reserve kept for daily expenses, she genuinely had no liquid cash left. She had just received a little back from the housewarming gifts, and pooling it together she could just about manage buying a serviceable donkey. Right now the money wasn’t physically on her.

The market dealer said, “You’d better come early. After this particular opportunity, there won’t be another like it. Come to collect tomorrow, and the shop will throw in a basket of fodder.”

One donkey’s fodder and one horse’s fodder — yet another expense. The official stipend actually included an allowance for this, but some of it was converted to money instead. Zhù Ying sighed inwardly: well then, I’ll calculate a fodder supplement into the Court of Judicial Review’s accounts. Everyone gets a share… those who want it take the fodder; those who don’t take it take money. Which neatly gives her another line item from the rental properties as income.

Cao Chang led the horse along, quite pleased in his heart: this Third Young Master hadn’t changed.

When his sister died, he had been old enough to understand what was happening — Zhù Ying had helped a great deal, and the whole family considered her a good person. It hadn’t been Gan Ze’s influence alone that could have achieved all that. Now he could see Zhù Ying was still the same, and felt reassured — he could work for the Zhù household with a settled heart.

But Zhù Ying didn’t go home next. She went to a tea shop.

Cao Chang had no idea that his “good person” was leading him straight into a genuine thieves’ den. And inside the den was even a former bandit.

They saw Zhù Ying and were all warmth and smiles. “Sanlang, congratulations!”

“Same to you,” Zhù Ying said. “I’m dead broke — anything I eat here goes on my tab from now on.”

Old Ma laughed. “No need to worry — your account still has credit.”

Old Mu said, “Well now — a servant and a horse. Both sorted.”

“Indeed,” Zhù Ying said. “I’ve been so busy the past while I couldn’t get over here. How have you two been?”

“Well and good, thank you for asking.”

Not empty courtesy — Zhù Ying often came by and sat for a while, and the Jing Prefecture constables tended not to come and make trouble in this particular spot as a result. Everyone in this city knew how officials and people of the shadows were intertwined. With Zhù Ying coming to sit and chat, they would keep their distance, and Old Ma and Old Mu could live a little more like ordinary people — no longer thinking of themselves as thieves.

Those two hadn’t dared come to Zhù Ying’s housewarming yesterday, and today said a few more nice things. Old Ma said, “Wait one moment.” He ducked to the back and reappeared with a small puppy. “What’s this for?” Zhù Ying asked.

“Those who know what’s what around here wouldn’t dare steal from you,” Old Ma said. “But we worry about someone new coming along who doesn’t know better. This one gives a bark — you wake up, and the rest is easy.”

Zhù Ying had never kept a dog. She thought for a moment and said, “Fine, I’ll take it home. I’m not sure the family can manage it.”

“It’s a common dog — give it a bit of food and it’ll be fine.”

“My household is stingy.”

Old Ma almost laughed. “If you’re stingy, there’s no such thing as generous.”

Zhù Ying tucked the puppy under her arm and went home.

——

At the Zhù household at this very moment, things were quite different.

Cao Chang knocked at the gate. Since Old Tian had left, Zhù Da and the others were all busy in the rear — it took a few rounds of knocking before someone came. Zhù Ying entered the house, and Cao Chang led the horse in through the small gate, secured the gate, removed the saddle, put out fodder and water, and stabled the horse.

Zhù Da opened the gate and said, “You’re back! Guess what—!!”

“A dog,” Zhù Ying said.

Zhù Da had been ready to surprise his daughter and was himself startled instead, patting his chest. “A puppy this little — what use is it?”

The puppy let out a “Woof!” at him, and Zhù Da flinched. He was a charlatan by trade who had spent his life being chased by dogs — even a small dog, at the sound of a bark, couldn’t help but give him a scare. “Behind the gatehouse, build it a little kennel,” Zhù Ying said. “Give it table scraps.”

“Fine, at least it makes some noise,” Zhù Da said. “By the way — now that Old Tian’s left, I was thinking of telling Cao Chang to move into the gatehouse. Now I suppose he doesn’t need to. And — you should come back and sleep in the rear quarters tonight.”

Zhù Ying smiled. “It’s warm out — I’m fine here in the study.” She was staying in the study partly to watch the main gate, and partly to observe whether Cao Chang was trustworthy — once she was sure of him, she could feel comfortable moving to the rear. Living alongside someone was a different matter from daily acquaintance.

“All right then,” Zhù Da said. He pulled Zhù Ying along, going back through the main courtyard and pushing open a door across from the stable: “Look, look! What do you think!”

Cao Chang started. “Old man?”

Zhù Da was beaming with glee. “No need to hire a carriage anymore!” He had used the horse to pull a cart himself, with a complete set. He had bought this with his own private savings! The money hadn’t been wasted!

Zhù Ying thought: a riding horse and a cart-horse are rather different things. Well, we’ll need to buy a large mule to pull this cart. You practice driving it for a while, and then whenever you want to go out, you’ll have your own carriage — not bad at all.

She said, “Very good — now when mother wants to go out, there’s a carriage for her. No more hiring.”

Just more animals to feed, three heads’ worth. I’ll need to find more money.

Cao Chang said weakly, “That fodder…” And the veterinarian’s fees…

“I know,” Zhù Ying said.

Zhù Da said, “And there’s more! Come look in the back!”

He and Cao Chang had been busy all day.

The family savings were nearly emptied out — all that was left now was things they could arrange and put to use. They had spent the whole day organizing the housewarming gifts. Things like quilts, tableware, candlesticks, and incense burners — Zhang Xiangu put the everyday ones on her upper floor and the valuable ones in the small side room of Zhù Ying’s quarters.

Zhù Da had also moved several jars of liquor steeped with ginseng and tiger bone to his own upper floor.

Huajie wanted nothing much for herself — she partitioned off one room upstairs as a storage space for quilts and winter clothes. The other two rooms remained open, used as a study, fitted with a writing table, cabinets, a few books on medicine, and some herbs. Accounts-keeping and studying medicine would happen here.

Guest room closets, upstairs and down, were furnished; Zhang Xiangu and the others had put away the bedding and furnishings, locking them in the cabinets: “For when there’s actually a guest. Otherwise just sitting out and collecting dust — more work to clean and wash.”

“Good thinking,” Zhù Ying said.

Huajie was playing with the puppy and said, “Just so. And now that we have our own house, we need to set down some rules.”

“There’s only one extra person — Cao Chang — and he’s not a nosy type. No need to make a fuss…”

“We can’t stay with only one person,” Huajie said. “There’ll certainly be more. I’ve written it all out — see if it seems workable to you.”

Since the main income was Zhù Ying’s, the key question was how much she brought into the household each month. Zhang Xiangu managed the money; Huajie kept the accounts — every month a tally was done. Rent from the farmland was also managed by Huajie, all with proper account records. Once a year a summary was presented to Zhù Ying. Zhù Ying said, “You handle it.” Huajie said, “You already give me more than enough — don’t forget I have farmland too.”

Then there were gate rules.

The house now had seven entrances. All comings and goings required attention.

“The rear gate stays shut,” Huajie said. “Bolted and locked from inside, key with you. The side gate for buying provisions — one key for me, one for Mother. Open it when you need to go through, lock it immediately after — we have no one to tend it. Four keys for the main gate, one for each of us. The inner gate is to be closed every night and locked, opened again in the morning. The small gate: you have one key, Cao Chang should have one. The side-courtyard gate into the main courtyard, to be closed at night as well.”

“Understood,” Zhù Ying said.

“If you have any confidential documents,” Huajie said, “don’t leave them in the outer study. Not specifically because of Cao Chang — but this house is large and there are too few of us to keep an eye on everything. Keep them in a secure place in your own room.”

“Understood.”

Then she asked for money.

Zhang Xiangu had been about to praise Huajie — thank goodness for her, or the household would have fallen into chaos; she herself couldn’t have managed accounts this complicated. But then she heard a request for money, and asked, “What else needs buying? We’re not missing anything.”

“We still need to buy two more animals,” Zhù Ying explained. “And fodder. Next month the Court of Judicial Review accounts will come through — that’s when things will ease up a little.”

Zhang Xiangu frowned after she explained. “What do we need so many animals for? Each animal costs money, and keeping them is trouble — if they’re not cared for properly, they die…”

“If they die, we eat the meat,” Zhù Ying said.

“Nonsense!”

Zhang Xiangu couldn’t win against her daughter, so she handed over the money — which meant the household was truly left with nothing. Huajie did a quick calculation and thought: I still have some private savings; there’s no need to worry about emergencies. From treating patients she had often taken losses, but one generous patron could offset the cost of many poor people’s prescriptions, and there were also the twenty mu of thin farmland to lease — it all accumulated and was set aside.

The next day Zhù Ying went out and bought two more animals, both brought back by Cao Chang to feed and stable. The most animated corner of the whole Zhù household turned out to be the stable!

——

But Zhù Ying had no time to enjoy any of that. She felt in her pockets and found only a handful of copper coins. The household couldn’t be left without money for groceries. She kept the last two full guan at home. Now, if she needed to cultivate relations with anyone, she had nothing but the small trifles she had made with her own hands, and a few remaining small snacks.

These days Zheng Xi’s face showed no good cheer — not a good time to press him for money.

Zhù Ying went to the Jing Prefecture instead — she needed to thank Wang Yunhe. He had extended many courtesies while she was building her house, even facilitating the deed registration more smoothly than usual. And for the housewarming, he had not only sent that. Wang Yunhe was a man who accepted what was known as “inkstone fees” — payment for writing — as a not-insignificant source of income. She had paid not a single coin, purely taking Wang Yunhe’s goodwill. A verbal expression of thanks was still owed.

But no sooner had she reached the Jing Prefecture than Wang Yunhe seized her: “Perfect timing! I have a use for you — are you willing to help?”

“Six months to repay a summer debt — better do it quick.”

“I’ll come!” Zhù Ying agreed before even asking what it was.

Wang Yunhe smiled and explained: “Not asking anything difficult of you. It’s still in connection with the Luo Yuan case — the net has been drawn, but one fish has swum into Ci’en Temple. And with a Buddhist establishment, and so many faithful, being too heavy-handed would not look well. Best to give them some face. Can you go in and take a look for me? You can move through there more quietly than my men.”

Ci’en Temple was a large monastery, and Wang Yunhe was a person of discernment.

“Certainly,” Zhù Ying said. “Who am I looking for, is there a signal, and how do I contact you once I’ve found him? A criminal like this — as soon as anyone notices them in a place, they get beaten, so they tend to be very sharp and very quick to run.”

Wang Yunhe had someone bring a portrait for Zhù Ying to look at. “This person is about the same height as Patrol Captain Li. I’ve had men posted at the front and rear gates. He Jing is also in there in plain clothes, praying in the main hall. Tell He Jing, and let him handle the rest. You don’t need to do anything else — I’ve made all the arrangements.”

“Fine.” Arranged this way, Zhù Ying wouldn’t need to expose herself, wouldn’t need to personally antagonize anyone, and no one could say the Court of Judicial Review was running errands for the Jing Prefecture.

Wang Yunhe also had someone produce a worn-out shoe for Zhù Ying to examine. “He dropped this during a chase.” Zhù Ying looked at it with a slight twist of her lips, and also examined the sole.

On arriving at Ci’en Temple, there was an unexpected complication — Liu Songnian was there touring and discussing Buddhist philosophy with a group of talented young men and the temple’s abbot and senior monks. Among those talented young men was a familiar face — Lin Zhen.

Zhù Ying thought: so there’s another arrangement at play here!

Whether or not this was Wang Yunhe’s doing, with Liu Songnian occupying the abbot’s attention, the task would be much easier.

But Liu Songnian didn’t only occupy the abbot’s attention — he also detained her. Liu Songnian saw her and called out, “You, boy — what are you here for?”

Zhù Ying thought: aren’t we on the same side? Why are you calling me? Under everyone’s gaze, she had no choice but to approach and bow. “Master Liu — I’ve come to take a walk. To… absorb some atmosphere.”

“Do you understand Buddhist doctrine?” Liu Songnian asked, his manner relaxed, apparently still immersed in the pleasant mood of discourse with a few kindred spirits.

“A little,” Zhù Ying said without any false modesty.

Liu Songnian snorted. “Young as you are, you dare say you understand? What have you realized? By what means?”

May your ancestors rest in peace! Zhù Ying bowed her head with perfect deference. Realized, my foot — she could recite scripture at length and discourse on the principles convincingly enough to fool people. But! This was the foremost scholar of the age, along with a hall full of eminent monks. In matters like these, it came down to genuine insight — and genuine insight was something she genuinely lacked. She would truly embarrass herself, and she still had actual business to attend to.

Liu Songnian pointed to the people around him. “All these people have talent and reputation. What do you have? By what means have you realized anything?”

Zhù Ying raised her head, smiled in her most winning way, and said: “Me? I originally had nothing at all.”

The abbot pressed his palms together. “Well said, well said.”

“Nonsense!” Liu Songnian said.

Zhù Ying bowed to Liu Songnian as well, gave a general bow all around — she didn’t acknowledge Lin Zhen specifically — and left without worrying about Liu Songnian’s expression. The abbot she had met briefly before and recognized; apparently the abbot had some impression of her too. She stepped back, and as she had expected, she spotted He Jing. She lit incense, then walked around casually, and in the area where travelers lodged, she found the person she was looking for. She walked past without pausing, neither stopping to look nor turning away too sharply — just a normal passerby.

She made a circuit and notified He Jing. Then walked around a little longer and, at the temple gate, brushed past the incoming constables as she was leaving.

She then went to the Jing Prefecture and waited for Wang Yunhe to return. While waiting, she mentally went over the account she had with Liu Songnian and added another line to it in heavy ink.

Wang Yunhe’s negotiations with the abbot and others seemed to have gone smoothly. He returned shortly, with Liu Songnian following along behind.

Liu Songnian had been wearing an expression of complete indifference, but when he spotted Zhù Ying waiting, he began to frown.

“What is it this time?!” Wang Yunhe said. “Sanlang hasn’t done anything to provoke you.”

“People’s likes and dislikes can’t always be explained,” Zhù Ying said. “Not liking someone is not liking someone — I…” It’s fine that not everyone likes me.

Liu Songnian pointed at Wang Yunhe and said to Zhù Ying, “You, what do you mean ‘I’? You passed the law examination — that alone was already a mistake! And then to attach yourself to a powerful household? Why won’t you walk the proper path? So many bright talents with far more reputation don’t dare venture into those waters so lightly, and here you are diving headlong in. You need to guard your reputation!”

So he actually liked Zhù Ying well enough after all — enough to think she should walk the “proper road,” that serving as Zheng Xi’s errand-runner was beneath her, that she should emulate Wang Yunhe instead.

Wang Yunhe found this rather embarrassing as an indirect attempt to poach someone from under his nose. “Don’t say such things,” he said. “Sanlang, don’t listen to him. He’s not happy in his own affairs, and taking it out on others.”

Liu Songnian said, “Do you think I’m joking? That fake of a man — entirely contrived! This young creature still has something a little too genuine in her about her — it won’t be enough to work with that fake!”

Zhù Ying ventured carefully, “Zheng — Zheng Senior Official?”

“Who else but that fake?”

“Is it… about the marriage?”

“How dare you say another word! How dare you!”

Liu Songnian disliked Zheng Xi. That man’s heart was too steady. As a friend or a rival, he was acceptable — but to give his daughter in marriage to someone like that… there would always be a discomfort in it. Liu Songnian knew his own temperament was not ideal; he had the standing to be difficult. Of course, this too owed something to his own teacher’s shelter and protection. So while he found his mentor’s son not particularly intelligent, when that fool died and left behind a daughter who needed to be married off, Liu Songnian couldn’t help but give it some attention.

Zhù Ying truly did “say another word.” “The foremost scholar of the age, and not unintelligent, and said to have rendered great service to His Majesty — if even all that isn’t enough to reach high office, it can only be because your tongue is too sharp and your temper too bad.”

Wang Yunhe burst out laughing!

Liu Songnian fumed. “I am accustomed to being an untrammeled wanderer!”

“But you’re not Wang Yunhe.”

Wang Yunhe laughed even harder.

Liu Songnian said, “Do you think Zheng Xi is some kind of good man? That man has more schemes than you can count. Today, those people there — did you see them?”

“Setting aside yourself and the monks, there were eight in all. Which one are you referring to?”

“Duan Ying.”

“Oh?”

Liu Songnian said, “You don’t recognize the name? The one at the front, in the green robe.”

“Oh! He looks very handsome.” About the same age as herself, yet dressed exquisitely. At first glance you might not notice, but everything visible on his person was worth five hundred guan — the price of a decent house in the capital displayed right there on his body. One look and you knew this was the son of some prominent family.

“His uncle is called Duan Hong.”

Seeing Zhù Ying still unresponsive, Liu Songnian said, “Duan Hong was Zheng Xi’s former uncle by marriage. Twenty years ago, Zheng Xi took his aunt back home and dissolved the marriage.”

Zhù Ying was momentarily startled — then composed herself and asked, “Were the husband and wife perhaps very devoted to each other? A case of lovers pulled apart? Didn’t the late Marquis look into it?”

Liu Songnian pressed his lips together. “Before the marriage, Duan Hong already had a favored concubine, whom he set up in a separate house to accommodate the wedding. Zheng Xi seized on this — while his uncle was away on campaign — went straight to the outer residence and dragged Duan Hong out. Duan Hong accused him of insolence toward an elder. Zheng Xi was merciless: he said directly that Duan Hong was using his wife’s dowry money to fund the other establishment. The choice is yours — using your wife’s dowry to keep a mistress outside, or secretly maintaining a private account for an outside mistress behind the family’s back. Pick one.”

Neither was what an honorable man should do.

If the old family had tacitly permitted it, that was even more shameful. So Zheng Xi’s accusation was right, and the confrontation was justified.

It became very ugly on both sides. Duan Hong relied on the fact that Zheng Xi could not touch him as an “elder” and stood there hurling abuse. Zheng Xi didn’t argue — fine, as an elder I won’t touch you, but I can touch your property. He raised a blade and sliced off the head of the pregnant outside mistress right there. Duan Hong was enraged beyond reason and continued to curse. Zheng Xi, not troubling himself to argue further, had his men seize the body and, with it, roll straight to the Duan household. Every gate was blocked, every exit sealed. He then sent men in from multiple directions — every capable manager, every trusted servant, every handler of dirty work, he went through the household and dispatched them one by one. As he cut them down, he had men behind him count out money — paying the market rate for each one: male servants at ten guan each, a premium price! Singing girls and dancers, young and pretty, commanded more, but he didn’t kill them, just tied them up and set them aside to save money. He cleared out the whole Duan main residence. Then, with the dowry inventory in hand, he went through it item by item and recovered every piece of the dowry.

Ten li of red wedding gifts had gone out; ten li of red went back home. Back in the Zheng household, he personally named several of the accompanying maids who had allowed their mistress to be mistreated without reporting or retaliating — they were on Duan’s side — and dispatched them in his own home.

Duan Hong’s parents had been sitting it out. They were stunned by this — this man was savage; one side of the Duan inner courtyard was a pile of bodies, the other a pile of money. The shock made them seriously ill.

Zhù Ying thought: there’s surely more to it than this. But aloud she said: “Not bad.”

Liu Songnian said, “When his aunt married, she was already two years into the marriage. Duan Hong had the outside mistress before the wedding! How could they not have known? They still went through with it! If he hadn’t used his aunt to make his point, he might have been a decent man. As it was — it was because at the time his father was away on campaign, and Duan Hong’s family, as in-laws, was working behind the scenes to undermine Zheng Marquis.”

Zheng Xi had used the occasion to make everything explicit — tore off every pretense, laid it all bare, showed it to his emperor-uncle: look, for the sake of reconciliation between our two households, for the sake of your accession to the throne, we gave away my aunt in marriage. And now see how they have treated us.

Break off the alliance!

Long Jue and Chen Luan seized their chance, took the assignments, and cooperated with the Zheng Marquis for a great victory. Both men later became chief ministers with this as part of their record; the Zheng Marquis became an irreplaceable pillar of state from that time forward.

The Duan household lost all its capable and trusted lieutenants and men of ability — those who did the dirty work were servants in the household register, after all. The Duan family’s own members were not killed, but their vitality was gutted and their dignity destroyed. Duan Hong’s parents, already shocked into illness, died soon after; Duan Hong himself faded away in depression. By the time the Zheng Marquis returned, the reckoning showed that the Duan family had been dormant for nearly twenty years. Their deep foundations and wide connections through marriage kept them alive — their own clan had spent all those years posted to outer positions.

At the time, the Emperor was furious and had Zheng Xi confined to study. Then his father returned — in triumph! A great victory. A nation secured. His mother, his grandmother, ran to the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the Emperor to weep. Very well — release him.

And then Zheng Xi went back to being a refined young gentleman, nothing at all like his bold and vigorous father. That year, he was only fifteen. Even while carrying out the killings, he had not forgotten to pull along the Jing Prefect and say to him, “I’m killing servants — reporting it to you for the record.” Perfectly law-abiding. The Jing Prefect of that time was nothing like Wang Yunhe — yet Zheng Xi was a man of ferocity and force that the current generation of spoiled young men couldn’t approach. Five years later he married, and was well-behaved and proper. Another five years, and after his wife passed, he still did not indulge himself — only one concubine to attend to his daily needs. Steadily he rose to Chief of the Court of Judicial Review, and no one had anything ill to say of him. Now he was about to take a second wife.

One could not say Zheng Xi didn’t look after his own people — but his protection came with conditions; the prerequisite was that everything went according to his arrangement. Once a woman was in Zheng Xi’s household, he would not fail to look after his family, but to imagine there was genuine heartfelt “concern”? Best not to hope for it. Small wonder Liu Songnian was angry.

“Thank you for telling me this,” Zhù Ying said.

The young Yue Xiaoniangzi entering this marriage was, by now, very much a match of equals. And then there was Duan Ying — even the younger generation had come; surely the older ones weren’t far behind? Damn it all — she had received so many benefits from Zheng Xi that what followed would be fighting in the front lines for him.

Wang Yunhe was also surprised by Zhù Ying’s composure. “Sanlang, Old Liu is just in an agitated state and—”

Zhù Ying was stuck on this particular ship, the chief on that ship had not treated her badly, and she could only pick the lesser of available paths. She deflected to the lighter matter. “A man willing to write essays advocating the selection of female constables…”

“Silence, silence, silence!”

Zhù Ying bowed to both of them, and left at a measured pace.

Wang Yunhe said, “Old Liu, why did you have to say such things in front of someone young? It’s not that you dislike Sanlang at all — why make things hard for her? Zheng Xi has shown Sanlang a great deal of recognition. This young person values loyalty and has backbone…”

Liu Songnian said with fury, “A whiff of you all over her! Just don’t let her die before you do! When the time comes, Zheng Xi may not be quick to save her!”

“Aren’t there still the rest of us?” Wang Yunhe said.

“You — just you! Don’t count me in.”

Wang Yunhe smiled faintly.

Liu Songnian’s face wore a rare solemnity. “The road is her own choice. Since she is unwilling to remain in purely practical matters and insists on wading into murky waters as a hired blade — she can bear the consequences herself. What I worry about is the state having trouble from here on. The Duan clan’s return, whether they fight or don’t, whether they make a scene or don’t — trouble either way. Even if the Duan clan loses, the situation will become turbulent. I am not versed in practical governance, but you are different. You must not be destabilized. Don’t take sides. I even wonder if she is a piece of bait that fake deliberately dangled out for you to swallow!

Never mind, saying it is useless anyway. How can one not take sides… in the end someone fit must be chosen. Ruling a nation alongside wolves and foolish swine — can that be any good?”

Wang Yunhe said suddenly, “Of course there are always those who share the same principles. I have often served in court alongside wolves and foolish swine. And so capable young people are all the more precious.” He paused. “Does it matter whether she’s bait or not?”

The two men sighed together.