If she was impeached for it, so be it.

Zhù Ying was not the least bit afraid of being impeached for this now. She had long been waiting for someone to call her a callow brat, wet behind the ears. She could do many things — but growing a beard really was asking the impossible of her. With a pretext like this, she could make all the more of it going forward.

She wore that ridiculous fake beard all the way to the Court of Judicial Review, causing another uproar. Everyone laughed and crowded around to talk to her; eventually someone yanked it off, and everyone laughed again. Zhù Ying snatched it back: “Don’t fool around — I still have a use for it!”

The Left Investigating Officer said: “You really are — other people watch a fire from across the road and don’t want the trouble to grow; what do you call it when you stir up the trouble yourself and don’t want it to grow?”

Zhù Ying laughed: “Left Brother, you have it wrong!”

Here we go — she had started talking in an affected literary manner again!

The Left Investigating Officer said: “It’s good that the affair is settled — just lay low for a while. You’re lower sixth grade going up against their lower fifth; the other side—” He pointed toward the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. “—is not to be underestimated. If anything happens, step back a little; our Lord Zheng won’t let you down. You did well enough before. What comes after is beyond what you can manage.”

Zhù Ying thought: Who said I was trying to manage anything else? I’m doing this for myself.

She said: “I have to take a fierce bite out of this — make them hurt enough that they won’t easily come at me again. A dog that’s been driven into a corner doesn’t just jump over walls — it bites!”

“Who talks about themselves that way? If someone hears that, what kind of impression does it make? Do you want any reputation left at all?”

Zhù Ying smiled with self-deprecating ease: “Given where things stand, I still expect a good name among the pure-flowing scholar class? ‘Fawning and flattering,’ ‘avaricious,’ ‘petty’ — and then what? The people who speak well of me only say I’m useful to have around. Heh!”

The Left Investigating Officer fell silent. He too was not from the pure-flowing scholar stock, and Zhù Ying had only been an evaluating officer when she arrived at the Court; he could see she had no powerful patron either. Zhù Ying’s words had struck him right in the gut. He clapped her on the shoulder: “Things will be better in the future — you have ability, and that’s different from people like us who are just grinding through the days.”

Zhù Ying said: “Who is more noble than whom?”

She had made up her mind to use Duan Zhi as a lever to stir up trouble.

When Zheng Xi came down from court, he found the fake beard stuck on her face again; before he could stop himself, he let out a laugh, then raged: “What is that thing on your face?!” Leng Yun was gleeful: “Rather amusing.” Zheng Xi immediately snapped at Leng Yun: “Stop that!” Pointing at Zhù Ying: “Tear that ridiculous thing off! Come with me!”

Zhù Ying and Leng Yun exchanged a mutual grimace; she followed Zheng Xi into his office. Zheng Xi said: “Close the door.”

Zhù Ying closed the door; Zheng Xi started pounding the desk: “What do you think you’re doing? Trying to make it into a farce?!”

Zhù Ying yanked off the beard, tossed it onto Zheng Xi’s desk, and said: “I’ve already become a laughingstock — I cannot swallow this. Who is going to put on a farce is not settled yet.”

“You’re getting above yourself, aren’t you?”

Zhù Ying let out a cold laugh: “My abilities haven’t grown — this is exactly what I’ve always been. I’ve just had a chance to see that Duan Zhi is not all that impressive. My lord — whom are you planning to send to deal with him? Or are you planning to deal with him yourself?”

“That is not for you to concern yourself with.”

Zhù Ying said seriously: “My lord — if you go after him yourself, that is flattering him with your attention. Better let me flatter him with mine. Others are not right for this; they either have sufficient credentials, or the right background. Me — I have neither. I am perfectly suited to humiliate him.”

“Preposterous!”

Zhù Ying was intent on having a round with Duan Zhi. She said: “Duan Zhi is a man of limited ability; he’s all right, he’s lower fifth rank, enough to be an annoyance but not enough to do real damage — let me first strip away a bit of his dignity. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“He is already a dead man walking, but you have a fine future ahead of you,” Zheng Xi said.

Zhù Ying said: “You senior gentlemen are all unsuitable to take the field now; this cannot be allowed to pass so easily. I guarantee — no more farce with this fake beard — but I must definitely make him lose face.”

“Hmm?”

“Once the first move has been played, there must be a response. Otherwise — I step back, and you then deploy someone else to make a move? Then they’ve sounded out the full depth of your hand. Better let me try their depth. How would that be?”

Zheng Xi thought for a moment: “Fine. But do not go too far.”

Zhù Ying said: “I will target him alone. Not a word about his brothers or nephews.”

At the word “brothers and nephews,” Zheng Xi let out a cold laugh. Duan Ying had been given quite the disservice by Duan Zhi’s one outburst; however much the chief examiners might have admired Duan Ying, they could not promote him too prominently. And Zheng Xi felt a private relief — Duan Ying was not as troublesome to deal with as Zhù Ying. Privately, Zheng Xi’s language about Duan Ying — “callow little brat,” “wet behind the ears,” and the rest — was the standard opening insult for a young person; and yet Zhù Ying refused to accept it.

Having received Zheng Xi’s approval, Zhù Ying went back the next time she was delivering documents to the Secretariat and openly attached the fake beard to the documents themselves: “With this, surely this set can be approved?”

Everyone who saw it was stunned!

Hu Lian said outright: “Have you gone completely mad? Doing something like this?”

Zhù Ying cradled the documents and said: “That may be uncertain.”

* * *

She then carried this stack of documents to the Secretariat to have them countersigned, and along the way encountered a crowd of onlookers. Someone muttered: “What’s that — a perfectly fair-complexioned young person, wearing that ridiculous thing?”

Zhù Ying had made a scene at the palace gates that morning, which quite a few people had heard about or witnessed — but since she was not an official required to appear at court and stand in ranked formation, the censorate officials who kept watch over court behavior had not seen the scene. The others who had witnessed it were now weighing whether or not to write a new impeachment.

Zhù Ying therefore made her unhurried way to the Secretariat under the covert observation of many curious eyes.

And there was Duan Zhi outside the Secretariat again.

Duan Zhi was a sinecure official who had attended court that morning and had no further agenda for the day — he was thinking of finding a pretext to go home and rest. Several people today had been looking at him strangely; he had learned before leaving the palace what Zhù Ying had done that morning. Duan Zhi had remarked on that confrontation to himself all day: in the Secretariat, before the three Chief Ministers, he had remarked to himself. A good many officials had stepped over each other to agree with him and stomp on Zhù Ying: even the man who had submitted the original impeachment memorial — purely on principle — had been given a decent piece of his mind by various officials afterward, saying he was being used as someone else’s weapon. Duan Zhi thought: What strange looks then — what does everyone expect me to do?

He had barely left the main hall when people were smirking at him right and left. Before he was even out of the imperial city, he had learned what Zhù Ying had done that morning. Zhù Ying had not made any particular effort to lower her voice when speaking to Wen Yue; everyone who was meant to hear it had heard it.

Duan Zhi, being a man of poor intelligence but considerable sensitivity due to his circumstances, immediately resolved to go find Zhù Ying and have it out with her! On the other side, Duan Lin had also heard the news and was hurrying to intercept him. Duan Zhi, seeing his third brother: he had had only three parts of mild irritation; the sight of Duan Lin involuntarily inflated it to five. He announced that this callow little brat dared show contempt for a senior official, going on at some length — “a lowly clerk with a pen…”

Duan Lin felt like hitting him!

Duan Zhi had just confirmed by his own words that he had in fact made that remark to Zhù Ying.

Duan Lin asked: “You — you actually said that to her?”

Duan Zhi said: “Was I wrong? You can’t stop me — I’ll settle this myself!” He said his piece and walked off.

Duan Lin failed to stop Duan Zhi, and his elder brother’s greater anger rebounded on him. Duan Zhi thought of something and decided he would personally give Zhù Ying a dressing-down. At this moment Zhù Ying was just leaving the Court of Judicial Review heading for the Secretariat; Duan Zhi, taking a different route, was also heading for the Secretariat.

Duan Lin had no choice but to follow along from behind trying to keep up.

Zhù Ying saw Duan Zhi outside the Secretariat and found it very amusing. She could not have known Duan Zhi would be so cooperative. This way, all three Chief Ministers simply could not fail to know — and with their sharp minds, they would certainly be able to reconstruct the full sequence of events: yesterday, Duan Zhi had provoked first.

Zhù Ying still had her documents and moved aside, gesturing deferentially for Duan Zhi and Duan Lin to pass first.

Duan Zhi had come to block her way — how would he simply walk past? He planted himself in front of Zhù Ying: “So you are the one who…” Duan Lin, seeing no way around it, stepped forward and grabbed Duan Zhi’s arm. He said to Zhù Ying: “It’s nothing.” He then signaled to his men to drag Duan Zhi away. Duan Zhi would not go! Duan Lin told them: “Just take him — hurry!”

Zhù Ying watched the two brothers perform their impromptu farce of fraternal discord in front of her. She held her documents throughout — not one word.

The Secretariat’s people were craning their necks around pillars to watch. A few old hands went inside to summon a Chief Minister.

Wang Yunhe came out and called out sternly: “What is this? Conduct unbecoming! Disperse!” He first reprimanded the onlookers, then turned to the Duan brothers: “This is the Secretariat — it is a place of governance. It is not your household. Whatever grievances exist between brothers, go home and speak of them. “

With Wang Yunhe’s stern bearing, even Duan Zhi dared not continue the commotion. Duan Lin hastily apologized; Wang Yunhe sighed: “You must keep your family members in order and prevent them from further violations of the law and harm to the common people.” He spoke very severely; Duan Lin did not dare retort, privately noting one more grievance against Zheng Xi, and also adding Zhù Ying to his ledger. He bowed to Wang Yunhe, dragged Duan Zhi away, and departed.

Wang Yunhe stood on the steps and looked down, saying to Zhù Ying: “And you?”

Zhù Ying said: “Some documents.”

“Come in.” Wang Yunhe still had not softened his expression; he was already aware of what Zhù Ying had gotten up to that morning.

The documents Zhù Ying had brought were, in their content, utterly without fault — but she had stuck a fake beard to them! Wang Yunhe slammed them shut: “What is this?!”

Shi Kun poked his head over for a look — first smiled, then put on a stern face too: “Outrageous! This is a matter for solemn affairs of state — how can a bauble be affixed to an official document?”

Chen Luan also ambled over with curiosity to take a look; he frowned, and then became suspicious: this did not seem like something Zhù Ying would do. Was it madness, or calculated?

Zhù Ying said quietly: “I do not want to be pushed around by that poisonous tongue. When I was small, our village had two simple-minded boys; everyone disliked playing with them. One simply endured whatever people said about him — never answered back, avoided everyone he saw, and anyone who took a beating elsewhere would come and take it out on that simpleton. The other one insisted on playing with the others anyway. They said, you’re a coward. He said, I’m not a coward. They told him to prove it. He asked how. So under their taunting and manipulation, he climbed onto rooftops and jumped, stole beans from his own family’s garden, until finally he was driven to drink excrement…”

Smack! Wang Yunhe’s palm came down flat on the desk.

Zhù Ying said: “I haven’t finished yet. One winter day, they say he fell through the ice in the river and drowned. I don’t want to be that simpleton. If anyone tells me I’m a coward, I’ll say, yes, yes, I am — and then I’ll give them a good scare and see how brave they are. I’d say they’re rather jumpy themselves.”

Chen Luan laughed: “You mischievous thing.” Then he ambled back to his own spot.

Shi Kun gave a sigh: “Why stir up more trouble?”

“I dare not make excuses — I have anger in my heart.” Zhù Ying said honestly. “Working hard at my duties, being sent home to rest for two months. Two months home and a mountain of work backed up — enough to drive anyone to distraction. I won’t be able to endure it if this sort of thing happens again. Better to be harder about it — next time they’ll go and bully some softer target instead, and I’ll have some peace.”

Shi Kun actually started laughing at this; he pointed at Wang Yunhe: “His complaint. Haven’t you heard what the young person said? Finish up early, be done early, get some peace.”

Wang Yunhe now looked at Zhù Ying: “What else are you planning?”

Zhù Ying stepped forward and removed the fake beard from the document, tucking it into her sleeve: “Nothing more.”

Wang Yunhe only then bent his head to read the documents. Shi Kun and Chen Luan each returned to their own affairs; both agreed privately that Duan Zhi had picked the wrong opponent this time. Wang Yunhe signed the documents as he read them, then asked: “Why have the Metropolitan Governor’s Office’s cases increased?”

Zhù Ying said: “The same number of things happen — if you don’t press down on them at the outset, you pay for it twice as much later.”

Wang Yunhe looked and shook his head: “This is really something…”

Zhù Ying stood at his side, and lowered her voice: “Perhaps — when Zhufu Yan said he would rather feast and be boiled at fifty than starve and live longer — he was not necessarily rushing headlong to be boiled. Perhaps he only did not want to be lumped in with leftover scraps and husks and chaff, tossed into the common pot, then poured into the pig slop.”

Wang Yunhe’s brush paused for a moment — leaving an ink blot on the document — then swiftly recovered its composure.

* * *

Zhù Ying had worn the fake beard for barely half a morning, yet it caused Duan Zhi enormous damage!

First: the censorate officials did not formally impeach Zhù Ying; the censorate office seemed not to have heard of the incident at all — every one of them pretending deafness and blindness.

Second: he was given a thorough talking-to by his brother Duan Lin.

That evening, Duan Lin came again to Duan Zhi’s home and earnestly reasoned with him: “Setting aside the ruthlessness and cunning of the Zheng family — one need only consider this petty person himself. He is a cunning sort. For Zheng Xi, with all his depth, to entrust the full management of the Court of Judicial Review’s affairs to him — that is not a simple person, whatever the world has been deceived by that flattering manner of his. Elder brother, I have my own arrangements; please be patient.”

Duan Zhi could not bear being lectured by his younger brother. When the reasoning was sound, well enough — but this little brat — what was “not simple” about him? He said mockingly: “He is certainly not simple in the one area of making people angry!”

Duan Lin again begged Duan Zhi to keep calm: “Knowing he is trying to make you angry — why lower yourself to his level? Elder brother, I have my own plans. Please be patient.”

“Are you saying I lack composure?”

“I mean no such thing. But this once — the censorate’s impeachment — we should simply have watched the entertainment. Elder brother stepped out to demand a full investigation; that was drawing the thing onto ourselves. They turned it and snagged us in it — all for nothing.”

At this Duan Zhi was disgruntled: “So I can’t give his dog a beating? Isn’t that what Zheng Xi did?”

Duan Lin’s expression shifted: “Elder brother! What Zheng Xi killed were slave girls! Zhù Ying is an official of the court!”

Duan Zhi’s heart lurched: “I didn’t…” He had only been using it as an expression, had not thought it through! But wait — his brother’s words had just given him an idea. Duan Zhi thought it through. He said: “Half measures lead to nothing — since we’ve already made a move, we can’t afford to just let this drop. If we do, what will others think? All those opportunists going along with Zheng Xi against us — won’t they just take it as their cue?”

“Elder brother!”

Duan Zhi laughed: “I know, I know — a court official!”

Duan Lin thought: as long as his elder brother understood that, so be it. This elder brother was beyond reasoning with; as long as Duan Zhi did not commit any serious blunder, it was better not to provoke him further. Duan Lin did not hold any grudge against his elder brother for the disruption that had cost his son first place in the examination. He said quite courteously: “Zhù Ying is a person of just over twenty — without credentials, without any powerful patron. Let him simply go on enduring.”

Duan Zhi laughed too. He thought: Then let me do a kind deed and save him from having to endure any longer.

Duan Lin believed he had persuaded his elder brother and departed in satisfaction.

What gratified Duan Lin was that in the days that followed, though many people were laughing at the story and smirking at Zhù Ying’s clean-shaven jaw, Duan Zhi did not jump out to shout insults again.

Zhù Ying’s life returned to normal as well. She very quickly arranged the summer subsidies for the Court of Judicial Review and distributed them, first steadying everyone’s nerves. Then she was summoned to Marquis Zheng’s residence.

She had been caught up in the whole business purely by association; with matters settled, the Zheng family wanted to offer their apologies.

Zheng Yi and Zheng Yan, together with their father, had gone to ask Marquis Zheng to do the honors of consoling her in person. Zhù Ying ran into Zheng Yan face to face; he looked a good deal like Zheng Yi, but somewhat older, with a slight belly beginning to swell, a touch of plumpness setting in. One look at his face and you knew he was the type who loved to hold forth over wine.

It has to be said that many people loved to hold forth over wine.

Marquis Zheng said with a smile: “Sanlang has suffered.”

Zhù Ying wore a look of complete bewilderment: “What have I suffered?”

Zheng Yi said: “Hey! Sanlang — this matter — it…”

Zheng Yan was more direct; he stood up and gave Zhù Ying a proper bow: “Sanlang — brother — my apologies. I’d had too much to drink that evening and talked nonsense. Please be tolerant.”

Zhù Ying laughed: “You haven’t seen what I’m like when I’ve had too much to drink and start talking nonsense myself.”

Zheng Yan let out a curious sound: “Oh?”

Zheng Xi from the side said: “Don’t even think about your wine-talk again!”

Zheng Yi’s father asked: “What is it?”

Zheng Xi said: “Fourth Uncle doesn’t know this — he is a man that even Chief Ministers don’t dare let near wine. Drink in him, and everything comes out.”

Zhù Ying said: “I’m not like that. I only say things to the person in front of me; I never say anything about people who aren’t there.”

“You’re still talking!”

Zhù Ying did not close her mouth; she stated her conclusion: “The fault lies entirely with Duan Lin!”

Marquis Zheng said, fairly: “Correct!”

Marquis Zheng kept Zhù Ying for dinner. She made herself right at home. Zheng Xi specifically reminded them: “Do not serve him wine!”

Zheng Yan, curious, asked: “That terrifying?”

Gan Ze, pouring wine for him, murmured: “If you don’t want to end up like Jin Biao, don’t be around when he drinks.”

“Jin Biao?”

Gan Ze told the pitiable tale of Jin Biao in low tones; Zheng Yan laughed till he shook: “The kid’s rather adorable.”

Zheng Yi, seeing his brother had apparently forgotten what they had come for, took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Zhù Ying. Zhù Ying chatted back without a care as if nothing had happened, and also said: “Never mind — it’s all in the past. It’s not this one matter, there’ll be another one — whoever runs into it fights back. That’s all there is to it.”

One glance at Zheng Yan: he was already back to drinking wine with Zheng Xi as if nothing had happened at all. Well — what family doesn’t have a few foolish relatives?

Marquis Zheng and Zheng Xi cleaned up after this foolish relative with far less difficulty than Duan Lin had dealing with Duan Zhi. Zhù Ying did not bear any grudge against Zheng Yan, and she held onto the summer comfort items Zheng Xi gave her as compensation without any hesitation.

In this fashion a month passed in peace, and it was once again the Ghost Festival.

* * *

On the thirteenth day of the seventh month, Zhù Ying went to morning muster as usual.

Every day, Zhù Ying rode her horse in front and Cao Chang followed on his little donkey behind, the donkey’s back loaded with some of Zhù Ying’s supplies — like her extra meat patties for mid-morning — waiting at the imperial city gates until Cao Chang handed Zhù Ying’s things to her and she carried them in, while he led the animals home to feed them.

Today seemed no different.

Except that just before reaching the imperial city gates, several figures suddenly leaped out from the ditch at the roadside!

Zhù Ying reined in. She was riding at a leisurely pace near the imperial city; she pulled up several paces before reaching the figures and stopped. She was about to say something when her pupils abruptly contracted — these men were gripping steel blades and charging straight at her!

Zhù Ying had no time to think. She whipped the horse hard on the rump and drove it forward at full speed!

In front of the imperial city there was a symbolic moat; across it ran several bridges; once over those bridges there were masses of imperial guards. Right now, she was only a few dozen steps from those bridges. She found herself oddly curious: who had the nerve to make a move on her here?!

She even counted: four men — not a small number; enough to show some respect for her.

The horse stung into action, let out a long whinny, and plunged forward. Zhù Ying still had the presence of mind to feel something: Jin Liang is a solid man — he picked me a fine horse.

The horse’s two front hooves were nearly airborne as it crashed into the first attacker and trampled him, charging on! That attacker’s blade could not be pulled back in time, and it came down along with him. Zhù Ying had never been in anything like this before; all she could do was react on pure instinct. She ducked her body low and leaned sideways, using the horse to shield herself.

Misfortune — her leg went cold. The first man was being trampled but the blade in his hand came down onto the horse’s leg. The horse, which should have driven forward on the pain, instead stumbled because the wound was on the leg; Zhù Ying was still in the saddle when the horse’s front legs buckled and it began to go down. She was sharp enough to release her feet from the stirrups immediately and roll sideways off the horse onto the ground! She had not rolled a full two feet before the horse crashed down onto its side!

If she had not rolled fast enough, she would not have been thrown clear — she would have been pinned under it.

Behind her, Cao Chang screamed: “Murder! Help, someone help me! Cousin!!!”

Three of the men remained! In their shock, then recovering themselves, all three, ignoring Cao Chang, raised their blades and came at Zhù Ying. Cao Chang tried to spur his donkey to her aid; the last of the three spun around and slashed at him. The donkey, it turned out, had more initiative than the horse — it took Cao Chang and bolted!

Zhù Ying felt her whole body burning, but her mind was cold and her hands were steady. She stood, ignoring the injured leg, and gripped the gold-chased short blade Marquis Zheng had given her. She faced the three men. She chose the one on the far right, leaped sideways in advance to avoid the three men’s combined rush of blades, and with one flick of her wrist the short blade was buried in that man’s throat — her hand clamped the hilt and she pulled it across with full force!

Then she flung herself flat on the ground in a rolling dive away!

The man’s throat was cut wide open in a horizontal gash, blood spraying everywhere.

Zhù Ying rolled upright again. By now the injury to her leg was starting to throb with real pain, and the remaining two had their blades on her again!

Zhù Ying had almost no experience of direct head-on combat, yet she was peculiarly calm. She executed another roll, rolling right up against the man she had just cut, and pulled the steel blade from his hand. Left hand holding the stolen blade, right hand holding the short knife, she did a single backward flip and got to her feet. The remaining two attackers were almost upon her!

The movements of those around her seemed to slow to individual beats in her eyes. Since she was very young she had discovered this: human movement could be broken down beat by beat; once you caught the rhythm, everything became much easier. People were the same. She did not try to deal with everyone at once — beat by beat, one at a time. Her left leg was the injured one, so she went for the man on her right side. She blocked the steel blade of the man on her right — he had more strength than her; the blade pressed down, wrist aching; and then the steel was knocked clean out of her grip. She did not care; her body lunged forward to crash into the man’s chest, right hand driving the gold-chased knife in!

The man was not particularly short; Zhù Ying with the gold knife penetrated his abdomen. It was the seventh month; the weather was still not cold, and people were still dressed lightly — these assailants were all wearing single-layered cotton. The gold-chased knife was short, but its blade was more than sufficient to pierce through a single layer of cloth and into flesh. Zhù Ying kept her grip on the handle and with full force wrenched upward — opening a long tear across the man’s belly.

The last man’s blade came down on her left shoulder!

At this moment, the guards at the imperial city gates had been drawn by Cao Chang’s shouting. Most officials coming to morning muster had been so startled they had barely had time to react; a few steady ones called out for the guards and signaled their own household servants to come forward to help. But with blades in hand, no one dared get close — the crowd could only form a loose half-arc and shout: “Stop! Put down your weapons and surrender — there may still be mercy for you! Keep fighting and you’ll not save your lives!”

The Court of Judicial Review staff who had come to morning muster, seeing what had happened, first asked: “What’s going on?” Then seeing it was Zhù Ying — the faint-hearted called for the guards to hurry; the bolder ones began feeling their way toward the dead attackers’ blades to come and help. The Left Investigating Officer had picked up the blade of the first attacker, who had been trampled: “Little — Little Zhù! I’m here to help!”

The Left Investigating Officer had only just got the blade in his hand when Zhù Ying took a second cut, and the guards arrived.

Unlike what most people might imagine, not every imperial guardsman carried a practical weapon — quite a few carried purely ceremonial ones. Fortunately, the blade of this Captain Li who came at the head of the response was a fully serviceable one. He swung it forward; behind him a squad of soldiers brought halberds; two men to a team, they first pinned down the men on the ground. The eviscerated one was not quite dead and stirred once more; two guards, startled, jolted their hands, and gave him another opening.

The remaining soldiers leveled their halberds at the last attacker.

That man, seeing things had gone bad, flung his blade at Captain Li’s face and leaped back into the ditch!

From the moment they leaped out until the last man leaped back into the ditch — all of it had taken no longer than the time it would have taken Zhù Ying to eat two meat patties.

The Court of Judicial Review staff rushed together to help Zhù Ying up. Zhù Ying was still holding her blade, and said: “I’m fine! Get me a horse!”

The Left Investigating Officer dropped his blade and said: “Never mind the horse! I’ll request your leave — you get home right now. Quickly! Does anyone have a carriage? Call a physician!”

Zhù Ying said: “My elder sister is the physician! A horse!”

Cao Chang came rolling and crawling back. The donkey was gone; he was deeply ashamed and useless, and was berated by Gan Ze, who had just arrived: “What good are you?”

Zhù Ying said: “Don’t curse at him!”

She looked around, snatched the Left Investigating Officer’s horse, and vaulted into the saddle one-handed. The Left Investigating Officer said: “What are you doing?!”

Zhù Ying smiled coldly: “He has no blade now — I do!”

The Left Investigating Officer was dumbstruck!

* * *

Zhù Ying was not one to take a loss lying down; nor was she a reckless person. She knew she was injured — but to track and catch this man, right now was the best chance! Let this one get away and who knew when they would catch him.

She urged the horse forward, following the direction of the drainage ditch. Midway she spotted suspicious tracks, dismounted, and examined them carefully. Under a bridge she found traces of where he had climbed out of the drainage ditch, remounted, and continued tracking.

Soon she cornered the man in a dilapidated compound in the south of the city!

By this point she had chased him halfway across the capital with a body covered in blood. The man had not yet had time to change his clothes; Zhù Ying on horseback broke through the door boards at full gallop!

Behind Zhù Ying came Captain Li with a few guards; then, a little farther back, the Metropolitan Governor’s Office constables who had heard the news and come. Farther still was a loose ring of officials who had taken time off and followed along out of curiosity. And beyond them, a large crowd of early-rising residents who had come to watch.

Zhù Ying, ashen-faced, said to Captain Li: “That’s the one!” The guards surged forward!

The Metropolitan Governor’s Office and Wan Nian County constables recognized Zhù Ying and were greatly alarmed: “Deputy Justice Zhù? What happened to you?”

“If you would please — send word to my home. Have Elder Sister prepare to bandage my wounds; I’ve taken two cuts.” Zhù Ying said.

The constables shuddered: “Were the injuries truly that severe?”

Zhù Ying smiled: “Let’s make the arrest.”

The constables also wanted to say something about: “This — this happened on Metropolitan Governor’s Office territory, so it falls under our jurisdiction…”

Zhù Ying said: “Work it out among yourselves. I’m the victim — I even want to personally conduct the interrogation.”

She said this, then began methodically searching the derelict house. Under a bedroll she found a small package; she opened it — a packet of gold.

“Contract killing!”

Zhù Ying said: “This is evidence too.”

In short order, Magistrate Liu arrived personally: “What has happened? Sanlang?”

Zhù Ying nodded to him: “Shall we do the handover?”

Magistrate Liu immediately said: “I’ll handle it!”

Zhù Ying said: “Fine — write out a receipt.”

“You’re still…at a time like this…”

Captain Li was also a little astonished; he was not squeamish about blood, but he had never seen anyone as calm as Zhù Ying. Zhù Ying and Magistrate Liu completed the handover — prisoner, physical evidence — with Liu signing a receipt. Zhù Ying said to him: “This matter is of significant consequence; Magistrate Liu must be extremely careful — guard against anyone silencing the prisoner. That will be difficult to explain your way out of.”

With these instructions given, Hu Lian also arrived with people from the Court: “The prisoner has been found?”

Zhù Ying nodded to him: “Done — leave the rest to you.”

Finally to Captain Li: “Work out the arrangement with them.”

Then Gan Ze burst in, he had come with a carriage: “Quick — let me take you home!!!”

Zhù Ying said: “Home — don’t alarm Father and Mother. I had something happen and I need to come home. They can’t take the shock of not seeing me.”

“Understood.”

Zhù Ying stopped resisting and got in the carriage. She spotted Cao Chang and said: “Stop crying — it’s not your fault.”

Gan Ze said: “He still has the nerve to cry?!”

Zhù Ying said: “You were hired to look after horses — not as a bodyguard. That demand is unreasonable.”

Gan Ze said: “You close your mouth too!”

Zhang Xiangu was still inside. Gan Ze pounded the door fit to shake the walls; Cao Chang said: “I have a key to the side gate.”

“You keep quiet!”

Zhù Ying said: “Let him use the key.”

Gan Ze said: “You too — keep quiet!”

Zhang Xiangu came to open the door, opening it while saying: “Goodness, who is that? How is it so…Gan Da…”

“Aunt — so sorry!” Gan Ze said. “Quickly — Sanlang!”

Zhù Ying jumped down from the carriage and stumbled, then fell right into Zhang Xiangu’s arms. Zhang Xiangu looked at her blood-soaked child and was given the fright of her life; when she saw it was her daughter, she was given an even greater fright! A daughter was her very life!

She made the instant decision: “Quickly — inside! Huajie! Huajie! Old man! Old man!”

She was about to carry Zhù Ying in on her back; Gan Ze said: “Let me!”

Zhang Xiangu said: “You look after the carriage! Old man — come quickly! Chang, bolt the door!”

She passed her daughter into Zhù Da’s arms; Zhang Xiangu supported Zhù Ying back to the inner bedroom, shut the door of the main bedroom tight, locking Huajie in with them. She pulled the door open a crack to call for Gan Ze: “Come in — what happened exactly?!”

Gan Ze kicked Cao Chang twice and asked: “Gate bolted? Animals fed? Get it done and come report back!”

Inside, Huajie was also deathly pale, asking Zhù Ying: “What happened?”

“Someone contracted to have me killed — most likely Duan Zhi; lately only he has both the money and the poor judgment.”

Huajie said: “Stop talking — and don’t move yet! You’ve lost too much blood!” Her hands were already going cold.

She pulled the door open to tell Du Dajie: “Go heat some water!” Went back to her room to drag over the medicine chest, then shut the bedroom door again. She had Zhù Ying’s clothing cut off and, with fresh water brought, began first washing the wounds.

Zhù Ying’s wounds were, by bad luck, in several wretched locations: there were cuts on the left back, cuts on the left leg — she could not lie flat on her back; she could only lie on her side. The knife wounds were fairly long; Huajie said: “The wound hasn’t clotted yet — this…”

“Just stitch it up,” Zhù Ying said very lightly. “It’ll heal faster. No use just letting it bleed on its own.”

“You should have come back earlier.”

“Then the assailant would have gotten away. You know perfectly well what the Metropolitan Governor looks like now.”

Huajie closed the curtains on the windows and pushed the folding screen back, making the light as good as possible. Huajie took a deep breath: “I — I’ll mix up a medicine you can take first; it’ll ease the pain somewhat.”

Zhù Ying said: “That will drag things out — let’s go. Don’t cry; if you cry you can’t see clearly. This kind of pain is nothing. I’ve been through worse.”

Huajie poured water first and washed the wounds, then took out needles and threaded them — to minimize pulling on the skin, she had pre-threaded several needles, each with only a short length of thread, so each suture would catch as little skin as possible. Zhang Xiangu had come in very quickly too; Huajie sutured while Zhang Xiangu wiped the sweat from Zhù Ying’s face.

When the suturing was done, the wound medicine was applied and gauze wrapped around it. The covers were pulled up and they opened the door to say: “Done.”

Everyone let out a long breath. Gan Ze came in to relay a message: “Seventh Young Lord says — rest easy and recover; he’ll see that you get satisfaction.”

Zhù Ying said: “Send word back to my lord — I did not anticipate that the people he’d send against me would be this direct. This simple.”

Huajie and Zhang Xiangu kept hovering around the bed. Gan Ze nodded: “Rest and recover well. Aunt — I’ll go report back.”

Zhang Xiangu dried her tears and sat at the bedside, asking: “What on earth happened? That’s no way to fight for your life!”

Zhù Ying laughed: “This is the one and only time — didn’t expect it…”

Zhang Xiangu said: “That ginseng root is still here — I’ll make you a ginseng chicken broth.”

Huajie said quietly: “Godmother — let me do it. I’ll also make some blood-nourishing tonic soup.”

“Fine!” Zhang Xiangu did not compete with Huajie over this. “We’ll take turns watching her around the clock, the two of us — don’t burden Du Dajie and Chang with this. Gan Da-lang — I’ve sent him away. The old man is talking to Chang. If anything comes up, we’ll handle it.”

Huajie said quietly: “I understand.”

Zhang Xiangu said: “Won’t do — I’m bringing my bedroll, I’ll sleep on the small couch right in this room. I’m her birth mother!”

“Fine. While she’s asleep, make sure she doesn’t roll onto her injured side.”

“Understood.”

Zhù Ying, amid the two of them sorting out arrangements, fell into a calm sleep. Zhang Xiangu washed her daughter clean, helped her into a fresh set of sleeping clothes, and tucked her in with care, gently stroking her forehead.