Zhù Ying blinked and looked at Huang Shi’erlang, who had just dropped a full head’s height by kneeling. She thought to herself: there must be a story here.

She knew who Huang Shi’erlang was. Lin Weng was a local country gentleman, and Zhù Ying had long since obtained a thorough grasp of the local gentry’s families and in-law connections. Because Huang Shi’erlang was a native of Sicheng County, she had never met him in person before today, but now that she had, he matched the descriptions she had heard from others fairly closely.

Huang Shi’erlang’s landholdings and wealth were known even to the gentry of neighboring Fulu County. Zhù Ying gathered information on local gentry through several channels: household registers, county yamen officials, neighborhood surveys, and the accounts of other local gentry. Zhao Su had also told her something of him, and Gu Tong would volunteer even more without being asked. Widow Chang and others like her were also regular suppliers of intelligence.

All of them had met Huang Shi’erlang at least a few times. In their telling, he was by no means entirely a positive figure. Zhao Su despised him as greedy and brutal; Gu Tong said he appeared easygoing but was in fact arrogant; Widow Chang disliked him more keenly still, calling him dissolute.

Seeing him in person today, Zhù Ying perceived yet more. Huang Shi’erlang’s circumstances were clearly far better than Lin Weng’s. He looked as though he had never suffered much hardship, or at least had never been dealt any serious lesson. He was dressed to impress, wearing a silk gown and adorned with gold and jade ornaments — several pieces in styles currently fashionable in the prefecture capital.

Beneath his brows there lurked a craftiness that was well concealed. His short, stout figure gave people a first impression of a certain amiability, as though he were incapable of causing harm.

Zhù Ying paused and said, “There is no need for such a grand show of courtesy — please rise.” She made no move to go forward and help him up with the performance of cordiality, nor to bridge the distance between them. A man from a neighboring county coming to pay his respects like this — there was definitely a story!

She gestured for Xiang Le to help him up, then turned to Lin Weng and said, “Lin Weng, please be seated as well.”

Lin Weng had been receiving surprises from his son-in-law one after another since early morning. When Huang Shi’erlang knelt just now, Lin Weng felt a tightening across his back: why did he kneel? Right, of course — when a commoner appears before an official, he is supposed to kneel.

Cold sweat followed Lin Weng down his spine. He felt a twinge of resentment at his son-in-law for this grand gesture. Was this not making him, the father-in-law, appear ignorant of proper etiquette and disrespectful to the county magistrate? County Magistrate Zhù — what sort of person was she? She was indeed a diligent and benevolent official who was willing to endure hardship and never squeezed the people. Her mind worked very well, yet she chose not to apply her cleverness to tormenting others.

But! She had a sharp mind and wouldn’t tolerate a grain of sand in her eyes. If Huang Shi’erlang’s behavior made County Magistrate Zhù feel that they did not sufficiently respect her authority as county magistrate… the one thing officials feared most was being looked down upon.

Lin Weng’s heart trembled.

Zhù Ying’s thoughts didn’t travel in the direction Lin Weng feared. She had no particular requirements on this front in Fulu County. Whether a person was rich or poor, if they made a proper bow with clasped hands or performed a cupped-hands salute when they saw her, and as long as the gesture wasn’t too perfunctory, she did not insist that people had to kneel before her. Gentry and wealthy households had the standing to give an occasional formal bow on great occasions at official ceremonies, while for everyday encounters they used a standing bow or hand salute. Poorer households lacked that standing, and they were more likely to kneel when they saw her. The poorer and lower-ranked a person, the more readily they knelt.

She didn’t quite believe that Huang Shi’erlang was accustomed to kneeling before county magistrates. She was an official now, but she had once been a despised little spirit-medium whom Zhu Family Village had driven out. In her hometown she had seen plenty of wealthy landowners and had extracted quite a few meals’ worth of payment from them. No matter which angle of experience she considered, Huang Shi’erlang’s manner seemed decidedly off.

Noticing Lin Weng’s expression as well, Zhù Ying felt all the more strongly that something was wrong here. She saw Lin Weng hadn’t moved and called to him again: “Lin Weng?”

Lin Weng snapped back to attention as though from a dream, making the excuse: “My lord, please forgive this commoner for being old and slow.”

He settled himself slowly into the seat in front of his son-in-law’s, and gave his son-in-law an extra look as he did so. If they had not been in Zhù Ying’s presence, Lin Weng would certainly have pressed the question: why the sudden change from arrogance to deference? What on earth is going on with you? Aren’t you setting a trap for us?

Huang Shi’erlang’s face maintained an appropriate smile throughout. He reached out and made a light gesture of helping him settle: “Please sit comfortably, honored father-in-law.”

After Lin Weng sat down, even the words he had prepared earlier briefly deserted him. He hemmed and hawed before saying: “My lord, my son-in-law has heard of your lordship’s deeds and holds you in the highest admiration…”

He delivered another speech of pleasantries on his son-in-law’s behalf. Zhù Ying listened patiently, and when Lin Weng began to stammer and repeat himself, she said, “You’re being this ceremonious today, which means you must have a reason. Speak plainly.”

Lin Weng still hesitated. He didn’t know whether he had been right to bring his son-in-law here. County Magistrate Zhù still didn’t know what Huang Shi’erlang had said at the family banquet — those words could have gotten someone’s head cut off. Lin Weng worried that he would keep on making trouble. He wasn’t sure whether he regretted agreeing to his son-in-law’s request.

Zhù Ying simply asked Huang Shi’erlang directly: “Shi’erlang, if you have something to say, why not say it yourself.”

Huang Shi’erlang made a slight bow and said, “Since my lord has given the order, this commoner will take the liberty of speaking. This commoner wishes to transfer his household registration to Fulu County.”

“Oh?” Zhù Ying raised an eyebrow. This was the last request she had expected from Huang Shi’erlang.

A local official’s performance review rested on two things: grain revenues and population — meaning agricultural yields and the ability to attract settlers. The growth of population was subject to time constraints; never mind how long it took for a person to grow from infant to adult, or how easily they might die along the way — even the simple matter of “being born” couldn’t be accomplished in a year and a half. First a man and a woman had to be matched before one could even begin to speak of “begetting children.”

So being able to attract people from outside to relocate and register their households was also a useful way for local officials to handle their performance reviews.

The plan in Zhù Ying’s notebook had envisioned recruiting the destitute, unregistered households, refugees who had fled into the mountains or the wilds, merchants, craftsmen, and others of that sort. These were all people who had no “fixed assets they couldn’t take with them,” and who could more easily make a fresh start once they arrived in Fulu County. Dispossessed commoners who came could open up a bit of wasteland; having a place to live was better than begging. Unregistered households were even more convenient — they were already within county boundaries, and an unregistered household almost certainly had unregistered land as well. Merchants and craftsmen had no need of farmland at all.

A major landowner like Huang Shi’erlang had never figured into her plans for recruitment. Men like him had their basic wealth rooted in land, and since his fields could not be moved, someone with deep roots in another place was unlikely to uproot himself on a whim. To try to recruit such a person would be a waste of effort. He could come to visit or reside for a time — that would mean spending money in Fulu County, which was as good as sending the county a gift.

She also had a rough sense of Huang family’s assets, at least the figures on the books.

Wherever a hometown-association guild opened, information about local conditions made its way back to the county yamen from that point. Before the new year Zhù Ying had begun summoning back the managers of hometown-association guilds in various places, having them report in detail on local conditions.

This had originally been prepared for Leng Yun, but it later turned out that Leng Yun’s advisors were quite capable, and in addition a good deal of useful material had been obtained from the various ministries in the capital. She had received the local archives when she returned to the prefectural governor’s office to complete the handover. Zhù Ying therefore did not bring out what she had gathered herself; instead she took advantage of her participation in the handover to quietly page through and commit to memory the household and land registers of the prefecture, and especially of Nan Prefecture and the neighboring counties.

If she remembered correctly, Huang Shi’erlang held property in three counties. The amount registered under his name in Fulu County was not large, but it existed, and every year he paid taxes on it according to the books. However, because the head of household himself was not a resident of Fulu County, Huang Shi’erlang was not subject to labor service or other levies in Fulu County, and when Zhù Ying summoned local gentry she did not include him — he was not in the household registration rolls. The hometown-association guild’s intelligence stated that the Huang family had truly field-stretching landholdings in Sicheng County, and that Huang Shi’erlang’s word carried more weight there than the county magistrate’s own. For the same matter, both could accomplish it, but Huang Shi’erlang’s efficiency put the county magistrate’s to shame.

A man like this was going to give up the foundations that his family had built over generations in Sicheng County and come to Fulu County?

Zhù Ying said, “Tell me the truth.”

Huang Shi’erlang did just that: “This commoner has modest family assets, and could make ends meet wherever he resided. Visiting my honored father-in-law for his birthday, I was struck by how greatly Fulu County has changed, and the notion took hold in my mind. People naturally prefer to go where things are thriving. I beg my lord to accommodate this wish.”

Huang Shi’erlang had a certain confidence about him. He considered himself the largest landowner in the vicinity, and believed he had the wherewithal to make a local official accept him. The customary methods of the gentry were well-known — concealing households and land, evading taxes and labor levies, sending substitutes, bribing the authorities, and so forth. As long as it wasn’t done too egregiously, as long as it didn’t make the official’s performance record look bad, most officials were willing to turn a blind eye. Never mind the claim that gentry contributed to education and moral instruction — the gifts that gentry sent local officials on festivals and birthdays alone amounted to a tidy sum of income.

So long as things didn’t go too far and nobody’s performance record was damaged, the hands of the bureaucracy tended to be loose.

He had also gathered some information about Zhù Ying from conversations with his father-in-law and brothers-in-law. His youngest brother-in-law admired Zhù Ying most of all, singing her praises to the skies — how she lived simply and used bamboo furniture, how her family members were equally modest and would venture out in common cloth clothing, how she regularly strolled through the streets in person and chatted with the poor by the roadside, how she personally supervised the farming and even went down into the fields herself.

Yet Huang Shi’erlang had noticed that his father-in-law’s household also sent gifts to County Magistrate Zhù. On festivals and holidays, on birthdays, the gentry gathered to present gifts. She didn’t impose a levy, but she accepted. She had even brought her parents and elder sister with her; the sister was somewhat less significant, but her parents’ birthdays had to be observed. In the first year people hadn’t known, but word spread and gifts began to arrive, and the county yamen did not throw the gifts back out.

From this Huang Shi’erlang drew a conclusion: here was a capable official, but absolutely not one who was impervious to all appeals. With sufficient incentive, she could be won over, and at the right moment one could lay all one’s conditions plainly on the table and negotiate with her.

Therefore he had prepared generous gifts — both to thank her for receiving the transfer and to show this capable county magistrate that he had money, and that doing business with him would be no loss.

He was waiting for Zhù Ying to make a show of asking questions and presenting a small difficulty, then accept the gifts, then agree to the arrangement. He had already sorted things out on the Sicheng County side and reached an understanding with County Magistrate Qiu, who raised no objection.

County Magistrate Qiu’s current term was due to expire the following year, and there was no certainty whether he would stay or go. This remote corner of Nan Prefecture frequently saw officials unwilling to take up their posts, and in the worst case a magistrate might be held over for another term. Qiu had no powerful patron, so his fate was uncertain. He had prepared for two eventualities: if he stayed on, he would push hard to expand the planting of winter wheat. If he left smoothly next year, he wouldn’t trouble himself over Huang Shi’erlang’s departure — the man might leave, but the land would stay, taxes would still be paid as before. There was no reason to detain anyone.

Zhù Ying said, “Things may not be any more comfortable for you here than they are back in your home county.”

Here it came — the small difficulty! Huang Shi’erlang rose and made a deep bow: “I beg my lord to accommodate this wish. Whatever the comforts or discomforts, this humble person will bear them alone. With my lord’s assent, I shall purchase a house in the county seat and settle my family there.”

Zhù Ying said, “If you wish to transfer your household registration, you need only come to the yamen and report it yourself. Your background is straightforward and there is ordinarily nothing to block the way. Fulu County yamen does business without making things needlessly difficult for people. So what was the particular reason you needed to call on me in person?”

Huang Shi’erlang said, “It was a small scheme of mine.”

“Oh?”

Huang Shi’erlang intended to have his household registration placed in a specific rural township where his land in Fulu County was located — he had already chosen the place. He wasn’t registering in the county seat, where wealthy households were numerous; settling in a more remote rural village would make it easier to get a favorable quota. He had studied Zhù Ying’s past decisions and found her to be a shrewd and evenhanded person who always distributed things in a balanced way first and then showed a small degree of favoritism toward those closer to her.

Since getting close to her wasn’t immediately possible, he would go and occupy a quota in a remote area instead, where no one else could outcompete him.

Zhù Ying said, “Very well — once you’ve made up your mind, come and transfer your registration.”

Well done! Huang Shi’erlang, seeing that all was going smoothly, broke into a more candid smile: “Many thanks, my lord!”

He made another deep bow, then gave Lin Weng a meaningful look. Lin Weng’s mind was elsewhere and it took him a moment to catch on; he then hastily rose and took his leave of Zhù Ying.

Zhù Ying said, “Go ahead. You need only come to the county offices to handle the household registration yourselves.”

Huang Shi’erlang said, “Once this commoner has completed the household transfer, he will immediately buy a house and move in. When the move is done, I hope my lord will honor my humble home with a visit and share a cup of wine.”

Zhù Ying said, “We’ll see.”

Huang Shi’erlang’s expression fell slightly, then very quickly returned to normal. He said, “When the time comes, this commoner will be waiting to welcome my lord.”

The gifts Huang Shi’erlang had brought could be called the most valuable that Zhù Ying had received from any gentry in Fulu County — silk and bolts of cloth, gold and silver, jade articles, porcelain, decorative objects, rare delicacies and mountain provisions, and an entire set of silver dining utensils.

When Zhang Xiangu and Huajie saw the list, both were startled, and they came together to consult Zhù Ying: “Isn’t this a bit excessive? Can we accept this?”

Zhang Xiangu said, “This person must be asking you to do something for him. When you accept a gift from someone, your hands are tied — watch yourself!”

Zhù Ying said, “Send it all back.”

“Yes!” Zhang Xiangu answered cheerfully.

Huang Shi’erlang had only just returned to his father-in-law’s house and was directing his steward to go and take possession of the house whose purchase had just been arranged, while he himself intended to return to Sicheng County with his wife to pack their belongings for the move. He planned to leave the Sicheng County residence and estate as they were, but his everyday furniture, his trusted servants, and his household managers all had to be brought back. For the move itself, trusted stewards also needed to be left behind to watch over the Sicheng County properties. All of this needed to be arranged.

Husband and wife entrusted their son to Lin Weng’s care: “The child is still young — no need to have him running back and forth.” The small boy was very reluctant to part from his parents.

Partings reveal true feelings, and Lin Weng and his wife were both pleased and reassured to see that their grandson, though not their blood, was nonetheless quite close to his legitimate mother, Lin Shi.

He was there in the middle of packing when Tong Li arrived from the county yamen with people to return the gifts. Huang Shi’erlang was greatly surprised: “Does my lord find the gifts unsatisfactory?”

Tong Li said, “My lord says what you have to handle is official public business, and it will be handled properly without any gifts needing to change hands. My lord does not do things because gifts were received. Please do not entertain the wrong idea.”

Lin Weng said, “I also felt this was a bit excessive on your part. You will come to know for yourself in time — my lord is upright and magnanimous. Even without all this, he would treat you no differently from anyone else. Why spend so much needlessly?”

Huang Shi’erlang thought to himself: I don’t want to be treated the same as everyone else.

He was in a hurry to return first to Sicheng County to complete the transfer of registration, and had no desire to waste time on this matter. He would wait until he returned and was properly settled before sending gifts properly again. He had arrived late, and if he wanted to get ahead of others he had to use money to pave the way — that was something he was good at.

He had the gifts returned intact, still unopened, to be sent back the same way next time.

After Tong Li completed his errand and reported back to Zhù Ying, he also mentioned that Huang Shi’erlang appeared to be packing up to leave. Zhù Ying said, “Noted. Go and ask Chief Official Guan to come.”

Guan Cheng arrived shortly and asked anxiously, “My lord, you summoned me?”

Zhù Ying said, “Right — there’s a situation in the mountains. I need to go up there.”

“What?!”

Word had come from the A’Su clan’s stronghold that Chief A’Su had fallen gravely ill and had requested that Su Mingluan return home — and also asked Zhù Ying to come as well. Chief A’Su’s health had been deteriorating since two years ago, fluctuating between better and worse. Zhù Ying estimated that this time he likely had something to entrust to her, and this visit was essential.

Having had the experience of the previous trip to the A’Su clan, Guan Cheng’s objection was not especially firm, but he requested that Zhù Ying take a sufficient escort and return as quickly as possible.

Zhù Ying said, “Understood.”

Xiang An and Xiang Le were both stirred inwardly, and when Zhù Ying had finished arranging certain county yamen business and Guan Cheng had departed, they stepped forward: “My lord, we wish to accompany you.”

Zhù Ying shook her head. “Now is not the right time.”

“We can contain ourselves — we only wish to protect you.”

Zhù Ying said, “Xiao Wu was left at the prefectural governor’s office, and I need someone here at the county to handle matters for me. I have plans for you two.”

Xiang Le asked, “What assignment might that be?”

Zhù Ying said, “Watching the house. Lin Weng’s son-in-law seems off. During the days I am in the mountains, if he comes calling, pay close attention.”

What was there about her that Huang Shi’erlang could possibly scheme for? Nothing more than her position as county magistrate and the related interests that came with it. To say Huang Shi’erlang was moving over out of “admiration” — not even a dog would believe that. Either he wanted her help in seeking profit, or he wanted her help in deflecting some threat. She was not afraid of either, but she was worried that Huang Shi’erlang would “corrupt the rules.”

Lavish gifts and obsequious words — the exaggerated deference — if it became a pattern, it would risk setting a bad precedent.

The Xiang siblings were from a merchant family and also knew something of Huang Shi’erlang — a formidable and ruthless character. They suppressed their feelings and accepted Zhù Ying’s arrangement.

For this trip Zhù Ying took Gu Tong, Hou Wu, and others with her, along with a small contingent of county yamen runners — all chosen for their youth and sharpness. She and Su Mingluan set out together; Su Mingluan was anxious and kept urging her horse forward, and their pace was quite fast.

This was Gu Tong’s first time entering the mountains, and he was both curious and tense, frequently gripping the hilt of his blade, as though bandits might leap from the roadside thickets at any moment.

At midday, Su Mingluan finally said to Zhù Ying, “Uncle, there’s a small stronghold up ahead — why don’t we rest there.”

Zhù Ying noticed her speech was nearly twice as fast as usual, and knew she was anxious at heart. She also knew that every moment was precious now, so she said, “Taking the main road there and back would add another ten li each way — twenty li altogether. Is that a rest, or more toil? Let’s just eat a bite here by the road.”

Su Mingluan heaved a great sigh of relief and said, embarrassed, “I was a bit…”

“I understand. Let’s go.”

The party traveled a day and a half without stopping at any small strongholds along the way. Deep in the night, they arrived at the stronghold by torchlight.

Gu Tong, who had not complained throughout the journey, let out a cry of delighted relief when the stronghold came into view: “We’re finally here!”

Su Mingluan went to knock at the gate. The stronghold gate opened and Tree Elder came out to meet them in person. They hurried inside, and Zhù Ying kept her guard up without allowing herself to relax for a moment. She had her long blade on her hip, and watched her surroundings alertly. The stronghold was quiet save for the chirping of insects and the occasional bark of a dog. Fortunately they arrived safely at the A’Su clan’s main dwelling, crossed the wide courtyard, and reached Chief A’Su’s living quarters.

Chief A’Su was reclining in bed. His wife and the stronghold shaman sat at the bedside. Su Mingluan rushed forward and called out: “A’Ba!”

Chief A’Su asked, “Did your uncle come?”

“Yes.”

Zhù Ying stepped forward. “I’m here.” She could hear that Chief A’Su’s voice was quite weak; looking at him closely, she could see his vitality was indeed depleted. It would be hard to say death was imminent, but it was plain to see that living was an effort.

Chief A’Su heard her voice and said, “Please — come over.”

The shaman and A’Su’s wife made room, and Zhù Ying drew close to his bedside. Chief A’Su said to the others, “All of you step aside — we have things to discuss.”

Everyone looked deeply concerned; even Su Mingluan refused to leave immediately. Chief A’Su said fiercely, “Out.”

They had no choice but to leave.

Zhù Ying said, “They are worried about you.”

Chief A’Su said, “I know. Little Brother, I am nearly done.”

Zhù Ying said, “You said your health was poor two years ago.”

“Ha, that was different. You are a very clever person, and clever people who have kind hearts as well — those I can trust. That’s why I agreed to follow so many of your suggestions. I know you were working for our good too, but I can’t help being careful. You’ve seen what my household is like. It must go to Little Sister! But that will be hard. When I am gone, tell Little Sister to follow your guidance and gradually take care of the things you have spoken of. Without doing some things for that court of yours, they won’t willingly agree to Little Sister’s succession. Bargaining — choose the right moment, and there’s no shame in it.”

He spoke very slowly, sometimes stopping after a sentence to rest, sometimes mixing in a cough.

Zhù Ying said, “I know.”

Chief A’Su said, “You have always handled things in a way that makes people feel at ease. And so I still have one thing to entrust to you.”

“Go ahead.”

“I am not worried about Little Sister — she will know hardship and labor, but I am not worried about her. I am worried about my sons. I am entrusting them to your care.”

“Oh?”

Chief A’Su said, “You must promise me — after I am gone, look after my sons.”

Zhù Ying had nearly thought he was going to change his mind and pass the family on to a son instead.

Chief A’Su added heavily, “Help them survive.”

Zhù Ying drew in a breath and nodded. “Indeed — even if siblings remain on good terms, there is no guarantee that no one will stir up trouble between them.”

Chief A’Su said, “Help me — call them in.”

Zhù Ying went and opened the door: “Sister-in-law, Elder Brother is asking you all to come in.”

A short while after Su Mingluan and the others entered, the shaman went out in a hurry and summoned Chief A’Su’s sons and his other daughter to the bedside. Everyone wore somber expressions, expecting that funeral arrangements were at hand — they had come to hear a final testament.

Chief A’Su said, “Little Brother, come here. I am going, and I am entrusting this household to you.”

“I…”

“When I am gone, you are all to respect your adopted father just as you respected me.”

“What?”

Chief A’Su said to the shaman, “I ask you to bear witness — I want my children to acknowledge Little Brother as their adoptive father.”

The shaman said, “Yes.”

Zhù Ying was claimed as an adoptive parent once more, this time by a dying father who entrusted her with his children on his deathbed. She let out a quiet sigh, and sat on the edge of Chief A’Su’s bed while his children performed a proper bow of acknowledgment to her, after which they drank the blood pledge wine. As the wine went down her throat she said, “I will look after them well.”

Chief A’Su smiled broadly. “Then I can rest easy.”

Having settled this matter, he still had not closed his eyes. He arranged for Zhù Ying to go and rest. The next day, Zhù Ying rose and found him still alive; in fact, he went on living day after day. Everyone knew he was close to death, yet he simply would not go. Zhù Ying could not remain at the mountain stronghold indefinitely, and after a few more days, with Chief A’Su still the same as before, she found the situation faintly absurd.

On the fifth day, Chief A’Su actually managed to get out of bed and walk.

Zhù Ying thought it might be a final burst of energy before the end, so she did not raise the subject of leaving.

On the sixth day he was still doing well, so Zhù Ying proposed her departure.

Chief A’Su supported himself on a walking stick and accompanied her to the courtyard, saying, “Made you come all this way for nothing.”

Zhù Ying said, “How long has it been since we’ve seen each other? Getting to meet even once makes the trip worthwhile.”

Chief A’Su said, “Let Little Sister stay on a while.”

Zhù Ying said, “All right.”

After Zhù Ying’s trip into the mountains, she had failed to send Chief A’Su on his way but had acquired several more “children” in the process.

When she returned to the county seat, she spotted Xiang Le running out from the county yamen from a distance, and the moment he saw her he called out, “My lord! You’re finally back!”

Zhù Ying dismounted and said, “Let’s go inside and talk. What’s happened?”

Xiang Le said, “Huang Shi’erlang has moved in — the day before yesterday. He even brought his household to the back courtyard to pay respects to our Old Master and Elder Lady. He brought many gifts, but Elder Lady turned them all down, saying you had given instructions that receiving gifts at improper hours was not appropriate.”

Zhù Ying asked, “What other activity have they shown?”

“Just the move. But there was one thing—” Xiang Le lowered his voice. “He sent notices to everyone in the yamen, inviting them all to his house-warming banquet. I noticed him whispering with Chief Official Guan too, and he sent gifts to Guan and the others as well.”

Zhù Ying looked back over her shoulder, and Gu Tong transformed from a wilted vegetable into a fresh one — he leapt up: “Let me go and find out more.”

Zhù Ying said, “No need. Xiang Le, go and fetch Chief Official Guan.”

Gu Tong said, “Won’t you rest first?”

Zhù Ying said, “How tired could I possibly be?”

Gu Tong looked at his teacher with deep admiration. He privately admitted he could not match her energy. He felt like a dying dog, and yet Zhù Ying could still go right on working.

Guan Cheng was in the county yamen, already hurrying out to welcome Zhù Ying back. He collided with Xiang Le and quickly came to the reception room to see her. As he came through the door he began, “My lord, the journey must have tired you — you’re drenched in sweat…”

Zhù Ying smiled and said, “You’ve had a hard time too. Huang Shi’erlang made a request of you, didn’t he?”

Guan Cheng immediately began explaining: “It was only about the irrigation canal works! Please let me explain! His land sits at the boundary between the two counties — somewhat in an unmanaged no-man’s land, a bit out of the way. Our canal project was already going to run in that direction, and he just wants to have his area done a bit earlier, with a slightly larger share of water.”

“No one’s interrogating you. A canal — hmm…”

Ever since Zhù Ying’s arrival, she had been repairing roads and building water infrastructure. Out of regard for the people’s labor capacity, these projects were rotated and taken in sequence, generally working outward from the county seat, with the more remote areas coming later. One project currently underway involved gradually replacing earthen canal embankments with stone embankments, starting with the main channels and then moving to branch channels, to avoid the need to dig every year. This also made dredging easier.

Zhù Ying asked, “How were you planning to arrange this?”

Guan Cheng said, “This year’s work is slated for that area — nine villages in total, and there are people in all of…”

“Wait! How many did you say? Bring the maps and registers!”

Zhù Ying could not claim to know every single person in the county, but there were several villages she did have memorized. The two of them went over the land registers and household records and confirmed it — there was one village that was unaccounted for.

Zhù Ying rubbed her chin and said, “Well now, how interesting!”

What were the odds that a village within the jurisdiction of the imperial court had maintained a state resembling a secluded paradise in which everyone had land to farm?

“Let’s go. Take a look.”

Guan Cheng did not dare say another word, only answered, “Yes.”

Zhù Ying made no immediate move. She sat in her chair and looked at Guan Cheng. Guan Cheng broke out in a sweat, mopping his face constantly with his sleeve: “My lord, I will keep this completely to myself. No, no, no — I’ll go, I’ll go…”

Zhù Ying said, “You’re coming with me. It’s a water infrastructure project — shouldn’t we conduct a site survey first?”

“Yes.”

“Tsk!” She still didn’t know what Huang Shi’erlang’s precise objective was, but it was plain to see that he never left empty-handed — wherever this man went, he had to get something out of it. Zhao Su had called him greedy and brutal; the brutality had yet to show itself, but the greed was certainly real.