“Oh my, look at this — how lovely!” Madam Zhao said with a beaming smile.

The clothes that Madam had prepared were, naturally, quite fine.

Only because time had been short, they hadn’t been made to order, but rather picked from a ready-made clothing shop in the city — several sets purchased and brought back. All of them were beautiful silk and satin garments, far superior to the padded jacket Madam had previously given as a reward. Not only did they feature embroidery, but their styles were also quite different from before.

And it wasn’t just clothing — there were also accessories, finer even than what Xu Madam and her daughter had, except that without pierced ears, several pairs of earrings had no choice but to lie idle inside a small dressing case. The household had also provided her with a complete set of new bedding — fragrant, soft, and satin-faced.

To speak plainly, even a full trousseau set for a village wedding wouldn’t look this fine, and certainly wouldn’t be this rich and valuable.

Zhang Xiangu was still unwilling. She clutched her daughter and refused to let go: “No! My child cannot be separated from me!” Madam Zhao directed several women to pry them apart.

Madam Zhao then conveyed Madam’s message to Zhù Ying: “Don’t worry about your mother. She’ll be here, and the official and Madam will provide for her. You just need to go obediently and serve General Zhou. Oh my, General Zhou is a general at such a young age, and so handsome too — most people couldn’t even dream of reaching him. This is fortune earned from a previous life.”

Zhang Xiangu erupted in fury: “You wretched old creature — being a broker is bad enough, but now you’re running a brothel too? Do you have an addiction to ruining people’s lives? If this is supposed to be good fortune, let your whole family go serve him!”

Madam Zhao said: “What kind of person are you — so ungrateful? Take her away quickly!”

Nanny Xu felt deeply guilty. She pulled Zhang Xiangu aside and said: “This household has strict rules. Anger the master and mistress, and a beating could leave you crippled if not dead. Who would your child have to rely on then? Bear with it for now — there will be plenty of chances to see each other later. It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t taken the child out, none of this would have happened. It’s fate…”

Zhang Xiangu had already come to her senses. She wanted to make a scene, but a fist cannot beat a thigh — she had seen the household’s ways clearly now, and causing trouble would bring nothing good; it would only leave her daughter alone in this world. She hated the situation so much that tears began to fall: “Why is our fate so bitter!”

Nanny Xu quickly covered her mouth and said: “Don’t cry! You’ll make the child miserable too. If you have anything to say, speak quietly to her. Hmm? Set a time — next time I go out to buy vegetables, I’ll take you along.”

Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Ying were both entangled in the case, so they could only listen to Nanny Xu’s advice. In the end, Zhang Xiangu said a few words to Zhù Ying: “Look after yourself, don’t worry about us. Whatever general he is, he’s bound to be short-lived!” and other such things, without instructing Zhù Ying to find a way out. Even getting by in a government office was difficult, let alone an imperial envoy’s residence.

Zhù Ying, however, was calculating inwardly: They’re holding my mother hostage! Fine — you people are ruthless! We’ll see about that.

Before boarding the palanquin, she noticed someone carrying two large chests following behind the sedan chair, and her brow furrowed slightly.

By this time, after nearly half a day of frantic preparation, night had fallen and the curfew had begun.

The local curfew naturally could not stop people being sent out from the government office. Neither the prefect nor Madam came along; only the steward and Madam Zhao accompanied the person along with the chest and luggage to the imperial envoy’s residence, saying: “These are what General Zhou requested.”

They then abandoned the palanquin and chests, and the whole group, porters included, departed — leaving Zhù Ying inside the sedan chair to roll her eyes in the most extravagant fashion.

The “short-lived wretch” cursed by Zhang Xiangu — Zhou You — was not at the residence at this moment. He had spent the entire day butting heads with the prefect outside, and was now on his way back.

The people at the residence knew that Zhou You had indeed gone to see the prefect today. The prefect’s steward had previously visited the residence, and the guards all recognized him, so they summoned a few men to carry both the palanquin and the chests inside and place them in the courtyard where Zhou You was staying.

The imperial envoy was at the residence, but he was currently busy reorganizing case files and had paid no attention to this minor matter.

And so, when Zhou You returned and met with the imperial envoy, neither of them brought up the matter of “the person sent by the prefect.”

Zhou You had been sparring with the prefect all day with unsatisfying results, and was telling the imperial envoy: “Uncle Zhong, I can see that this prefect — his abacus clicks very cleverly! He just wants to hold those shamans back until Zheng Seven arrives so he can hand them over to him. Hmph! The wretched creature! He’d better never come to the capital in his lifetime — if he ever sets foot there, I’ll make sure he suffers!”

Imperial Envoy Zhong let out a “hmph” and said: “He’s hedging his bets on both sides, and there must be minor clerks behind the scenes prodding him on! You’re twenty-two now — you should know about these kinds of schemes. Look at Zheng Seven: he’s only a few years older than you, yet he can already work independently and carry out imperial missions.”

Zhou You also let out a “hmph”: “What’s so great about Zheng Seven? Dark-hearted and heavy-handed, and his father still shields him — this assignment must be the result of Marquis Zheng’s maneuvering.”

Imperial Envoy Zhong said: “Ah, your father left early, but all of us uncles treat you as our own. Work hard at your training, make something of yourself early — your mother would be glad in her heart.”

Zhou You said “oh” and then asked: “So — those shamans are still being held in the prefectural jail. Are we just going to give up on them? It was clearly you who first encountered this case, and now it’s being handed over to Zheng Seven? Both cases should be merged into one and investigated by you. Or, if you don’t want to appear directly, let me go and spar with them!”

Imperial Envoy Zhong said: “Forget it. You’re young — don’t invite trouble onto yourself. You’re the deputy envoy I requested from His Majesty; what difference is there between you appearing and me appearing? The Board of Justice failed in its oversight, allowing the buying and selling of human lives — His Majesty is already very angry.”

“But His Majesty sent you here to investigate, which shows he still trusts you very much.”

A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Imperial Envoy Zhong’s mouth: “He sent me here to investigate those minor clerks’ misconduct. This is only one discovered case of substituted condemned prisoners. Over all these years, could there have been just this one? Who investigated all the old cases from previous years?”

Zhou You fell silent, growing somewhat anxious: “This… what is to be done?”

“So one must speak and act with great caution! Properly handle the case at hand, return and report when finished, and obediently follow His Majesty’s arrangements. Being put on the cold shelf for a few years — that’s all. Don’t go poking at Zheng Seven; I myself have to be wary of his methods. He’s not yet thirty, and he’s already handling cases at the same level as me.”

“But he still can’t surpass you.”

Imperial Envoy Zhong said patiently: “He is twenty-seven; I am fifty-seven. Think carefully — should I or should I not be wary of him?”

Zhou You said: “Then let him live to fifty-seven first…”

Imperial Envoy Zhong understood that this godson of sorts, having lost his father young, had been rather indulged by his mother and grandmother, and those good friends of his father had also been very accommodating toward him, which had shaped this temperament of his. He could only say: “Enough — you’ve been tired all day. Go rest.”

“Oh.” Zhou You rubbed his nose, winked at Imperial Envoy Zhong, and turned happily to run toward his own room.

His happiness that day lasted only until the courtyard gate. Entering the courtyard, he immediately sensed something was wrong: “What’s going on here?”

A young manservant he had brought along came running out: “Young Master, you’ve finally returned! Come take a look! Sent from the government office — said it was something you requested!”

Zhou You was greatly puzzled: “What did I request?” He stepped forward, lifted the lid of a chest, poked around a bit, and put the lid back down. He casually pulled aside the sedan chair curtain and looked inside, then stumbled back two steps: “Who are you?”

Zhù Ying had been stewing with a bellyful of resentment, but upon hearing those words, the air went right out of her. Fine then — this short-lived wretch had no idea who she was, yet because of one casual remark from this short-lived wretch, she had been dispatched to this godforsaken place. This was utterly absurd!

She gave Zhou You an expressionless look. Zhou You’s manservant brought over a lantern: “Hm? They’ve sent another one? The last one was sent to seduce the imperial envoy — this one…”

Zhou You said: “Away with you! Hey — you’re not the one from this morning!” He brought the lantern closer. He recognized her; Zhù Ying was, after all, a striking-looking young girl and not the type one could forget having seen.

Zhù Ying still said nothing.

“Who are you? Are you from the prefect’s household?”

Zhù Ying still said nothing.

The manservant beside him, seeing that she had ignored his master’s words, could not help but press: “Young Master is speaking to you and you don’t answer — are you deaf or mute?”

Zhù Ying nodded.

The manservant was flustered: “What? You… can’t speak, or…?” He pointed to his own ear, then to his own throat.

Zhù Ying nodded again.

That was that. Master and servant were both dumbstruck.

Zhou You cried out urgently: “Quick — go invite Uncle Zhong to come have a look! You — you, you, you — step out here a moment.” Afraid she might not understand, he waved at her repeatedly with gestures.

Zhù Ying slowly climbed out of the sedan chair. She had barely grown accustomed to women’s clothes for doing chores when she had been stuffed into this elaborate ensemble of tunic and skirt, and her movements were quite slow. After she got out, she wanted to retreat back inside — the short-lived wretch was more than a full head taller than her, and with that height hovering close, she felt a certain pressure.

Zhù Ying carefully put some distance between herself and Zhou You. Only then did Zhou You realize he had perhaps gotten a bit too close. He cleared his throat: “Ahem! Did no one say anything to you?”

Zhù Ying was considerably shorter than him; even with three paces of distance, she still had to tilt her head at an angle to see his face. This short-lived wretch had the kind of face born of a pampered, curious life, and he was staring at her. Zhù Ying gave the fellow a blank look.

At that moment, footsteps approached, and the short-lived wretch hurried forward: “Uncle Zhong.”

Looking over, Zhù Ying saw two lanterns illuminating a man of medium build walking toward them. Up close, she could make out a square face with correct, firm features. This must be the imperial envoy.

Imperial Envoy Zhong first looked Zhù Ying over, and was somewhat taken aback upon learning she was mute: “Hmm?” He gestured for everyone to go inside to speak, and indicated the chests be brought in as well.

Once inside, however, he first examined the chests rather than questioning Zhù Ying. One chest held Zhù Ying’s bedding, clothes, and the like. Imperial Envoy Zhong glanced at it and said: “Close it, close it!” He opened the second chest, and both Zhù Ying, Zhou You, and the manservant were astonished!

It was packed with silks and satins. Even if Zhù Ying had no expertise, she could tell these were superior to what she was wearing. Imperial Envoy Zhong, however, was extremely practiced in manner and ordered: “Bring them out.” Dozens of bolts of fine silk and satin were brought out, revealing what lay beneath.

Two small leather cases — noticeably heavy when removed — were opened to reveal them brimming with gold. Another box held pearls and precious gems. Yet another case contained a matched set of jade wine vessels. Then two more boxes: one with a vase and one with a bowl. Though Zhù Ying did not know what these were, things stored in such a manner were surely of great value — they must be antiques.

Zhù Ying thought: No wonder I felt the numbers were off. The bedding and clothes together fit easily in one chest.

Zhou You cursed: “Crafty scoundrel!” He grabbed a bowl intending to smash it.

Imperial Envoy Zhong said: “Wait! You’re smashing someone else’s things — have you asked her?” He pointed at Zhù Ying as he spoke.

That brought both Zhù Ying and Zhou You up short.

Imperial Envoy Zhong sighed: “This is an old trick. Did you think he only sent you a person? These are her ‘dowry’!”

Zhou You now had his eyes opened, and asked: “Then why didn’t the last one who was sent away come with all of this? Surely you didn’t receive such a delivery somewhere else?”

Imperial Envoy Zhong laughed and scolded: “Received what? What do you know? Times are different now — my affairs are none of your concern. Now tell me: what is this about? What do you intend to do?”

Zhou You scratched the back of his head and said: “I just casually said something complimentary, and he went and sent her? Along with all this stuff! Hey — you — what’s your background?”

Imperial Envoy Zhong said: “How did you forget? She can’t speak.”

“Then what are we to do?”

Imperial Envoy Zhong asked: “What do you intend to do?”

Zhou You was stumped by the question: “What do you mean? Surely we send her back? Surely you don’t mean to keep her?”

Imperial Envoy Zhong, with considerable patience: “There is a way of saying yes, and a way of saying no.”

Zhou You respectfully asked: “How so?”

A faint smile appeared on Imperial Envoy Zhong’s square face: “To refuse, naturally, is to return everything exactly as received, without touching a single thing — cutting all ties with him! To accept, that also has its reasoning. We are here to investigate the misconduct of civil clerks — we aren’t investigating the prefect! When the buying and selling of lives was happening, he hadn’t even taken up his post yet. You go write a piece of calligraphy — or paint a picture — and have someone deliver it to him tomorrow.”

“Oh?”

“The exchange of courtesies — how do you not understand even this?”

“But we’re here to investigate a case. My calligraphy and paintings aren’t worth this much…”

Imperial Envoy Zhong said: “If he thinks they are, that’s enough. So then — what will you choose?”

Zhou You asked: “We’re going to do him a favor? He’s been withholding the suspects in the witchcraft case from you and refusing to hand them over!”

Zhù Ying’s heart jumped.

Imperial Envoy Zhong smiled and asked: “What will you choose?”

Zhou You was still there furrowing his brows and squinting, but Zhù Ying had already understood. The reason for refusing to accept was not out of incorruptibility — otherwise it wouldn’t have come to keeping a servant girl before eventually sending her back. And besides, neither of these two individuals were treating her as anyone of consequence; otherwise, they would never have spoken of these things in front of her.

Zhou You had already thought it through and said magnanimously: “Send it back!”

And so Zhù Ying was stuffed back into the palanquin and sent back to the government office that very night.