The young messenger lodged at the post station inside the county seat. Zhù Ying was seeing him to his quarters, but the messenger said, “Please, you need not trouble yourself — I would only ask that Magistrate Zhù arrange your affairs and let us be on the road as soon as possible.”
He was a junior officer from the Central Secretariat, eighth rank junior grade, and did not dare put on the airs of an imperial envoy before Zhù Ying.
Zhù Ying said, “That is right.” It was only a short distance away, and the courtesies needed to be observed in full.
The messenger was very modest about it all, and at the post station thanked her repeatedly, then repeatedly pressed her to set out as soon as possible. Seeing him like this, Zhù Ying did not dare repeat what she had done the last time she went to the capital — waiting until the harvest was all the way in before making a desperate dash. She returned to the county yamen and began to prepare.
She had received the decree at the yamen, and everyone in the building knew it. It was a great and joyous occasion! Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Da naturally knew as well: fifth rank junior grade! The two of them looked at each other, so overjoyed they were dumbfounded — neither could find words, and they clapped their hands and danced around the room together. Huajie and Older Sister Du threw their arms around each other, both faces full of smiles. Even temporary Chief Secretary Mo, Tong Bo, and the other officials and staff, and Hou Wu, Cao Chang, and the other household staff, all glowed with the reflected glory.
While Zhù Ying went with the secretary to the post station, they had already begun bustling about the yamen — a proper meal was in order, and something needed to be done to congratulate the magistrate. Gifts were too hard to prepare on such short notice, but they could all bow and kowtow together — surely that was in order…
Zhù Ying returned to the county yamen to find the place inside and out already being swept clean, tables being wiped, lamps checked and new lanterns hung. She asked, “What is all this?”
Temporary Chief Secretary Mo said, “This is a great occasion for celebration — it must be properly commemorated.”
Zhù Ying said, “Both palaces have fallen — this is not the time for celebrations. And by the look of things, the messenger wants me to set out quickly. A clean sweep, and I’ll treat everyone to wine — nothing more than that.”
“How could we let you pay for that yourself?” Temporary Chief Secretary Mo had a very clear head about these things: fifth rank junior — she probably could not go on being county magistrate much longer, could she? Even if he didn’t know where she was going to rise to, if she ended up in some high post in the capital, they’d have someone in the capital! He fawned lavishly. He also said they should pass the good news to Chief Secretary Guan over in Sicheng County.
Zhù Ying said, “Just write him a letter. What needs attending to now is the wheat harvest and spring plowing. If I hear that things have gone wrong here while I’m in the capital, I will hold people to account.”
Temporary Chief Secretary Mo felt a chill run down his back and dared not mention celebrating again. “Yes, yes, yes.”
Zhù Ying said, “Call them all together — I have something to say.”
“Yes.”
Zhù Ying gathered all the yamen officials and clerks. They all already knew she was going to the capital. By convention, when a senior official left the yamen, they usually arranged what was to be done next. Those with quick minds were already thinking: she must be getting a promotion? Who knows who can follow along and share the good fortune? Ah — and the Old Madam and the old gentleman would be going back to the capital too, wouldn’t they? What a pity.
Others were worrying: now that she’s being promoted, who knows what kind of county magistrate will come next? If it’s someone like Magistrate Wang, that’s manageable; if it’s a corrupt tyrant, we’ll have suffered eight lifetimes of ill fortune. Without Madam Zhu around, where would people go for medical treatment?
No one was particularly in the mood to listen to what came next, but everyone put on a show of paying close attention, when in their hearts they were deeply sorrowful. At a time like this, when a superior was saying farewell, one only needed to show how much one would miss them.
But Zhù Ying was making real arrangements: “I’ll be back before you know it — don’t let your duties fall into neglect! This year the winter wheat planting was larger than last year’s. Pay close attention to storage. Also — the wheat seed loan still needs to be carefully accounted for: make sure people repay the seeds in full. Spring plowing need not wait for my return — just follow last year’s example. And the draft animals…”
She went on and on, arranging each matter in turn, with particular instructions to Senior Constable Gao and the other judicial staff to pay close attention to public order in the county during this period.
Then she sent a largely identical official document to Sicheng County, telling Chief Secretary Guan to keep Sicheng County’s affairs in good order.
Only after that did she go to the rear quarters to discuss the return to the capital with her parents. Zhù Ying’s thinking was this: her parents had been away from home for several years now. The south was humid, which was not good for elderly people. It was time to find them a drier place to live — like the capital, where they could settle and spend their old age in comfort. This journey was not as rushed as her last one, and she planned to bring some oranges and other local products to the capital along the way, so they would not be traveling too quickly. It should be possible to bring her parents and the household along.
Zhang Xiangu said, “The capital — I’ve been rather missing it!”
Zhù Da also found himself remembering the city’s splendor. He said, “Let’s go!”
Zhang Xiangu said, “Whenever you come back, we’ll come back with you. And wherever you end up going, we’ll go there too. A family has to stay together.”
Huajie was worried about the two elders making such a long journey, and wanted to travel along as well. Older Sister Du, of course, was also going. Qi Tai and his daughter, however, could not leave: Qi Tai still had to help with the accounts. The wheat harvest and spring plowing — especially the draft animal rental arrangements — required someone, and even if a county seat accountant could manage the numbers, he would not necessarily command enough authority. Hou Wu was to serve as a bodyguard; Cao Chang was from the capital.
In the end, with all these people leaving, Hammer and Shitou were left without anyone to look after them. Zhang Xiangu was reluctant. “What about those two? They’re both such lovely children.”
The two boys stood leaning against each other, silently waiting to learn their fate.
Zhù Ying said, “They’ll come along.”
Both faces broke into smiles. Hammer said, “The two of us can walk — we won’t be a bother. We can keep up.”
Zhù Ying said, “Then it’s decided. Oh — go ask Xiao Jiang whether she and her companion would like to come back to the capital for a look. The yamen has Cuixiang; she can manage the inquest work well enough.”
Gu Tong gripped the doorframe, half frightened and half anxious, and asked in a small voice: “Teacher — does this mean you’re… not coming back?”
Zhù Ying said, “What nonsense is that? I’m not done with what I came to do — how could I not come back?”
Gu Tong said, “Then I’ll attend Teacher on the way to the capital!” If Teacher didn’t agree, he would tell the family he was going to the Ministry of Personnel to seek an official post, get some travel money out of them under false pretenses, and follow along anyway. As for what post — don’t be absurd. What could a ninth rank junior grade get? Of course the point was to stay by Teacher’s side and keep learning!
Zhù Ying said, “All right.”
“Eh?”
“Not willing?”
“Willing! Very willing!”
Zhù Ying said, “Then it’s decided. Pack up and we’ll head to the capital for a look.” She had not brought many large pieces of furniture or household goods with her to begin with, and had not accumulated much here either. Even if the two elders were going to settle permanently in the capital, there were not many boxes and trunks. What there was more of were local specialty goods and gifts to bring to the capital.
She also sent word up to the mountains, telling Su Mingluan she would be personally going to the capital and would do her best to see Su Mingluan’s matter settled. Su Mingluan’s household promptly sent back a supply of mountain products.
News of the yamen packing up could not be kept from anyone. The whole county seat knew that Zhù Ying had “received a promotion.” The common people were at a loss; the local gentry had no idea what to expect. Gu Weng, however, was calm — he had handed a large sum of money to his grandson, and his heart was at peace. Others drifted in and out of the yamen to find out what was happening, and in the course of talking some of them began to cry. Some common people also poked their heads around the yamen gate, timidly asking: “Magistrate isn’t going to abandon us, is she?”
The common people wanted to cry even more than the gentry did. Since the magistrate arrived, they had dared to actually go to the yamen and file a complaint about things. It had only been a few good years of proper meals. And already she was leaving?
The young secretary came to the yamen the next day to press for departure, saw that Zhù Ying’s party was already in the process of packing, pretended he was only out for a stroll, stood and watched for a moment, then went back to the post station to sleep.
Every day, Zhù Ying received several dozen people who came to weep at her departure — rich and poor, old and young. The young ones were manageable — she could simply ignore them. But if an old person wept himself to death at her threshold, that would be a very difficult situation to handle. She patiently told them all: “The court will continue to care for all of you, and so will I. As you can see — I’ve only had my rank raised; I am still the county magistrate right now.”
Some were easy to reassure; others were not. And of course there were those who did not need reassuring. Xiang Dalang came to the rear quarters with two carrying poles loaded with goods, ostensibly under the pretext of delivering bedding to his younger siblings. Zhù Ying was bringing local produce on this journey to the capital and needed extra constables to accompany her, so Xiang Le and Xiang An were also coming.
But at the rear quarters, Xiang Dalang dropped straight to his knees the moment he was through the door, and presented a gift list with both hands held high. Zhù Ying said, “What is all this? Xiang An!”
Xiang Dalang said, “This has nothing to do with her — it is my own affair. My late father was not the only child of his father, and I am not a man who would forget a blood debt — but with an elderly mother to support above me and young sons to carry on the family below, I had no choice but to swallow my anger and keep my silence. When true vengeance is possible, who would not want it? You avenged our father. We cannot show gratitude only in words.”
He was one of the larger merchants in Fulu County, steadily building his fortune. Knowing that Zhù Ying was setting off on a long journey, he had sent things convenient to carry — gold, silver, and some pearls.
Zhù Ying said, “Bringing wrongdoers to account is my own duty. That I was late in doing it is already a failure on my part — what is there to thank?”
Xiang Dalang bowed his head to the ground. “How could it be late? As things stand, our gratitude is already beyond all measure. If you say it this way, I am too ashamed to lift my head.”
Xiang An also knelt and asked her to accept the gift. Zhù Ying said, “Your business has only just gotten started — you need this money. Take it back.” She gave a look; Hou Wu stepped forward and “courteously” escorted Xiang Dalang out.
Xiang Dalang considered the matter, then went to the front of the building to find his younger brother. “The magistrate won’t accept it. You’re following along to the capital — take it with you. If anything comes up with the expenses along the way, you keep your eyes open.”
Xiang Le said, “Brother didn’t need to tell me — I know what to do. I’ll manage everything properly.”
Xiang Dalang continued: “Everyone says the magistrate is going to be promoted and moved on. If you go to the capital and the magistrate ends up being posted somewhere else, you and San Niang keep enough travel money to make your way back. And along the way, keep your eyes open for what goods can be traded.” He paused. “Also — San Niang: a young woman on official duty is one thing; once things move on, there’ll be people who will talk. You two…”
Xiang An had come chasing after them from the rear quarters and caught the last few lines. She said, “What are you two talking about? We settled this long ago. It’s not the yamen we follow — it’s the magistrate. Otherwise, what’s keeping me? I could run my own trading business and earn more in one trip than a constable makes in a year. Nobody’s forcing anyone to stay.”
Xiang Dalang saw it was not a good place to stand outside the yamen talking, and said, “All right, all right — for now, just this way. Follow the magistrate to the capital first, get the lay of the land. We’d need travel money to blaze our own trail too. Mother can rest easy knowing you’re with the magistrate.”
The siblings tucked the gold and silver their elder brother had brought into their own packs, each taking half and securing it carefully.
Once everything was ready, five days had passed. The young secretary finally breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s ready at last! We’ll need to move quickly on the road, I’m afraid.”
Zhù Ying asked, “Is there a deadline?” If there was a firm deadline, she would reduce her luggage further.
The secretary said, “No set deadline, but in my estimation the sooner the better.”
“That’s fine.”
The party set out that very day. The county’s common people, young and old, came out in force to see them off as they left town. Some saw Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Da both seated in the carriage and couldn’t help but cry out: “They’re probably not coming back.” One sentence was enough to spread anxiety through the crowd, and weeping broke out all around. Some people, overcome, came up to grab the horses’ reins — they didn’t want Zhù Ying to leave. Those nearby wept as they tried to persuade them: “Don’t block the magistrate’s way.”
Zhù Ying made a full bow from horseback to all sides: “My dear people — I’ll be back before you know it.”
Gu Tong stepped forward: “What is everyone crying for? Teacher going to the capital is a good thing! She’s been away from home for several years now — it wouldn’t be right not to let her go back and see her family.”
Gu Weng, the Xiang siblings, and the constables all joined in with persuasion. Only then could they get clear of the county seat. People kept coming out to watch them all the way until they had passed beyond the borders of Fulu County.
After leaving Fulu County, still more people were waiting along the roadside. From her horse, Zhù Ying could see further ahead, and said to Xiang Le, “I can see a crowd up ahead. Go and take a look — something’s not right about that many people gathered.”
Xiang Le swept forward and back like a gust of wind and returned to report: “It’s the people of Sicheng County, with a Li Dalang and his sister at the head.”
If Fulu County’s people had been bound to her through the ordinary ties of daily life built up over years, then Sicheng County looked to Zhù Ying as a savior who had fallen from the sky. Who knows how Chief Secretary Guan had taken the news and spread word of it — by the time the message had traveled, it had changed entirely. Everyone said she was leaving. Anyone from Sicheng County who had the means had come out to the main road to intercept her.
Zhù Ying spent a good while more talking with these people before she could get free.
The young secretary, having watched these two scenes, thought to himself: I used to assume his success came purely from having backers in the capital. Seeing the people here holding him back like this — you can’t fake that. He clearly has genuine ability.
He was all the more courteous to Zhù Ying for the rest of the journey.
Seeing how warmly received their magistrate was, those traveling with her all held their heads high and found that even hurrying along the road did not feel tiring at all.
Two months to the capital was, for Zhù Ying, a completely unhurried journey. Those traveling with her were either young and vigorous or were Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Da, who had weathered hardship in their time. The weather, moreover, had gradually turned warm and pleasant, quite comfortable. They covered fifty to sixty li a day, which was fine for the people, but the oranges were having rather a harder time of it. They needed to be turned and sorted every two or three days, with any that had gone bad removed. Zhang Xiangu felt pained to throw them away and peeled back the spoiled orange sections to save the sound ones, collecting them in bowls. Over a day she could fill two large bowls. For the whole journey the group ate their fill of oranges — something of a luxury at this time of year.
Hammer and Shitou were both children, and found everything new and curious. The two of them watched for a while, then helped Zhang Xiangu peel oranges.
Zhù Ying leaned against the doorframe and watched them work, smiling. It was a rare peaceful moment.
The young secretary came up to her and suggested: “Since things are like this, Magistrate, why not switch to the waterway? Take the Grand Canal into the capital.” Every year, the grain collected from the south for the court traveled a long stretch by water on large cargo vessels. The boat, compared to a horse and cart, seemed somewhat slower, but it was stable and much more restful, and could carry far more.
Provided the weather was good and the river channels clear, boatmen could keep going day and night, recouping the time difference — making it in fact no slower than overland travel. The water route also had post stations, with supplies just as convenient as those on land. With Zhù Ying’s current rank, she could take a fairly large official boat, which would easily accommodate everything she had.
Zhù Ying thought it over. “Very well.”
When word got out that they would be taking a boat, all the attendants grew excited. Hammer and Shitou both jumped up with joy. They had been born in the mountains, then sold into slavery, and had never seen a great river or a boat. Their small faces flushed with color, their eyes full of curiosity.
Zhù Ying said, “Then let’s move quickly — on to the water post station ahead.”
The party traveled several more days, then turned to reach a small section of the Grand Canal where a water post station was located. A large boat was found, and everyone boarded. The boat had two levels of cabins with somewhat low ceilings. The cabins were allocated: the upper deck belonged to Zhù Ying’s party; the constables were housed in the lower stern; the bow had a large common cabin serving as a sitting area. Below all of this were the boatmen’s quarters, along with the hold for cargo, and a place for the horses.
The constables set up a signboard at the bow bearing Zhù Ying’s rank and name. Zhù Ying sat at the bow looking out at the view along the river. Xiang Le came to find her: “Magistrate, a merchant is requesting an audience.”
Zhù Ying asked, “What about?”
Xiang Le presented the calling card. “He wants to travel north in company with your boat.”
This was an old custom — whether by land or by water, there were always people who wanted to attach themselves to an official party for either safety or tax advantages. Zhù Ying said, “You and Xiang An go have a look at what goods he’s carrying. If the goods are in order and none of his party are suspicious characters, we can take him along for a stretch. He’ll have his own boat — I’m not managing that.”
Xiang Le said, “Yes.”
Before long, he was back with gifts: established merchants running familiar routes had fixed goods and established channels going back and forth. This particular merchant was hauling silk and cloth from the south to sell in the north. He had sent a box of silk, and through Xiang Le had agreed to another two boxes of silk and some pearls to be delivered when they reached their destination.
Zhù Ying left all of this for Xiang Le to handle, and invited the young secretary to her cabin for tea and conversation. Long stretches of travel left little else to do; the secretary was happy to talk with her. The secretary wanted to pick up some insight into the art of officialdom; Zhù Ying wanted to know the latest news from the capital. The secretary was only a junior eighth-rank officer and did not know a great deal, but reading between the lines of what he said, three earthquakes and two national funerals had left the court in a state of anxiety. During this period the Emperor had flogged to death six palace attendants by name. He had scolded the Crown Prince and Zheng Xi, and even his recently favored youngest son, Prince Lu, had taken a dressing down. Only his daughter, Princess Yongping, still carried any favor with him, and could coax him to calm himself for a while.
The secretary also mentioned that officials coming to the capital from various regions this year for their annual assessments with the Ministry of Personnel and other ministries had had a thoroughly miserable time of it: “They were all in high-ranking robes by now, but they ran into His Majesty in a sour temper and all ended up embarrassed. So they were going to the princess’s residence to give gifts and put in a good word…”
Of the other matters, the secretary knew no details. Zhù Ying gave him as much as she received, telling him some of the tricks of daily life in the imperial city. Both came away satisfied.
Once she had finished drawing out the secretary, she spent some spare moments teaching Hammer characters, and asked Huajie about various points of pharmacology, then asked Xiao Jiang what she was planning to do when she got back to the capital.
Xiao Jiang had not missed the capital much in the years away, but she thought of her rooms that she had left in Jiu Niang’s care, and wanted to go back and check on Jiu Niang and collect the accumulated rents. After several years, there should be a decent sum. And Zhù Ying had been promoted to a higher rank — she might be posted somewhere new. She also wanted to follow along.
“Cuixiang has learned a great deal by now and can handle ordinary work. As for me — I also want to travel and see things. There always seems to be something unusual happening around you, Magistrate.” Having said that, she noticed that her maid Jiang Zhou had relaxed as well. The girl had a great deal of respect for Zhù Ying — she admired her not only for solving cases but also for her searching and investigative methods, and wanted to stay close and keep learning.
Zhù Ying noticed the motions of mistress and maid, and said, “All right. I might not even leave Fulu County, for all we know.”
Jiang Zhou quickly said, “Anywhere is fine! Just let me follow and learn. If I leave you, Magistrate, there’s no one else who’d let a girl like me have anything to do with a case.”
Zhù Ying let out a sigh. “Very well.”
The boat moved along smoothly. The boatmen were all skilled, and Zhù Ying put up money for the water post station to improve their meals — after which the boat traveled even faster, and the boat’s odd jobs staff also took excellent care of her horses and cargo.
The boatmen rotated in shifts; when strong winds or heavy rain struck, Zhù Ying agreed to anchor and rest. Traveling this way for a number of days, Zhù Ying calculated that the pace was no slower than the overland route. Zhang Xiangu, once she had adjusted, also said it was far more comfortable than sitting in a carriage.
Zhù Ying’s party disembarked at a point not far from the capital and switched back to the road. Once their feet were on solid ground, everyone felt a slight instability in their step, as though the ground were somehow floating. The attendants mocked one another: “You’re drifting!” Zhù Ying paced slowly on the ground and walked a few circles before her feet felt firm again. Then she said, “Let’s keep moving — let’s rest at the post station.”
The party arrived at the post station and found it extremely lively! Post stations on the main road grew busier the closer they were to the capital. Zhù Ying’s current fifth rank junior status, combined with the secretary’s title of traveling on imperial business, was just enough to secure a fairly decent lodging for their party. While they were putting their trunks away, shouting broke out from the neighboring courtyard.
Two minor officials were quarreling over the courtyard, neither willing to give way. Both were of low rank, and yet neither backed down. Zhù Ying dragged a chair out to the courtyard and sat down, letting the breeze and the last of the afternoon sun wash over her, and listened to the two of them go at each other.
A northern accent said: “I have urgent matters — you can’t afford to have me delayed!”
The other, with a strong regional accent, said: “Hmph! What urgent matter do you have? My matter is far more pressing!”
The northern accent said: “Our superior is third rank senior!”
“Ha! Whose isn’t?”
Zhù Ying thought to herself: Mine isn’t — I’m only fifth rank junior.
Xiang An brought tea over and handed it to her. Zhù Ying accepted it and kept listening, all the while mulling over the two men’s accents in her mind, picturing what kind of people they might be — how old, tall or short, stout or lean, healthy or not.
The northern accent said: “Everyone’s third rank — but surely yours has no great matters of state? I’m here to report a propitious omen to the capital!”
“Ridiculous! Who isn’t reporting a propitious omen?!”
“What’s yours then?”
“What’s yours?”
“Show me yours!”
“You show me first!”
Zhù Ying nearly choked. So this “good fortune” business was a group effort? Buy ten, get one free?
She listened a while longer. A prefect heading out from the capital came to take up lodgings, scolded both men soundly, drove them from the courtyard, and settled in himself — putting the matter to rest.
One post station, two propitious omens. Zhù Ying found it rather amusing.
Another day’s travel, and when the attendants were growing weary, the capital came into view.
Zhù Ying’s home was in the capital. She let Cao Chang and Hou Wu go ahead with the household to settle in at home. She found a small courtyard for hire at a nearby inn, settled the constables inside with instructions to rest and not go out — their official speech was really not up to standard, and communicating in the capital would be quite difficult. Then she brought Xiang Le along to report in and deliver the assignment, and to wait for the Emperor to summon her.
She estimated the wait would not be short — she would have to see the Council of State first. She had thought her “lucky occasion” might move her up the queue, but at a single post station she had already run into two people reporting “propitious omens.” She suspected she might not be first in line after all.
She also told Zhang Xiangu: “Xiao Jiang’s situation is not convenient for lodging — Mother, please arrange a room for her and her maid at home. And Xiang An is a young woman and can’t be squeezed in with the others at the inn. Have Huajie make the arrangements.”
Zhang Xiangu said, “You go do what you need to do.”
Zhù Ying took Xiang Le and went with the young secretary to the imperial city. The secretary had a gate permit and went in to report. Zhù Ying needed to enter as well, but would need a temporary permit arranged. How it would be arranged, and what procedures were involved, would depend on the reply from inside after the secretary completed his report.
Zhù Ying was not anxious. If she were summoned for an audience today, that would be unusually smooth; waiting another few days was also fine. From the bearing and manner of the people passing in and out of the gate, one could see that everyone’s spirits were somewhat low — suggesting the Emperor’s mood was also low. Better to wait for the Emperor to look at the propitious omens, recover his good mood, and then summon her.
She stood at ease outside the palace gate, taking note of her surroundings. She did not spot Commander Wen Yue. Of the familiar faces from before, only half remained. Zhù Ying thought to herself: How did this happen? The official dispatches mentioned nothing of it.
Fortunately there were still a few familiar faces. She asked Captain Li: “A day in heaven, a year on earth — I’ve been away only a few days, and already so many new faces. What happened?”
Captain Li said: “Ah, another reshuffling! A Left Valiant Guard was added, and a Right Valiant Guard — some people were pulled in, others scattered. It’s still not done, so it hasn’t been published.”
He described things briefly: “Imperial Guards reorganized, new agencies added.” No more details.
Zhù Ying said, “I see.”
“Congratulations, Magistrate!” Captain Li’s eyes were full of envy as he spoke: “Now wearing crimson!”
Others who recognized her also came to offer congratulations. After a while, the word came from inside — her gate permit would be arranged; she was to go first to the Council of State. As for the imperial audience, nothing was said.
The gate permit was issued quickly. Zhù Ying said to Xiang Le, “Wait for me outside.” Then she followed the familiar guide — the same Lan Youzhi as before — toward the Council of State.
Lan Youzhi walked slightly turned to the side as he led her, saying: “Congratulations, Magistrate Zhù! Having crossed this threshold, from here on the road ahead is wide open!”
Zhù Ying said, “Thank you for the kind words — let’s hope things go smoothly. You look thinner — are you too worried about affairs of state?”
“Ah! What affairs of state do I have anything to do with?” Lan Youzhi said, and said nothing further.
Zhù Ying said, “Take care of yourself. What use is a person without their health? If you wear yourself out, the work doesn’t get done either.”
Lan Youzhi gave a small smile. “Let us hope things won’t be this busy going forward. Two palace deaths, the Court of Imperial Rituals, the Ministry of Rites, the Court of Imperial Entertainments, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works — all arguing and bringing their disputes to the Council of State. The prime ministers have been kept in constant motion, and busiest of all are the prime ministers themselves — they have to explain a great many things to His Majesty. It’s a blessing for Magistrate Zhù to be out in the provinces getting actual work done. Ah — we’ve arrived!”
Zhù Ying straightened her robes, waited for the announcement and the call to enter, and then stepped once more into the Council of State.
Inside, only Wang Yunhe was present. Shi Kun was occupied with conducting the two palace funerals — the posthumous titles, how many days of mourning all subjects of the empire should observe, and so forth. The more troublesome part was overseeing the construction of the imperial mausoleum. The earlier tasks were fine, but the latter sometimes carried hidden implications of a kind that bordered on a quiet seizure of power. Shi Kun could not refuse this task, however, and had to frequently travel in person to a location dozens of li outside the capital to supervise. Because the Empress Dowager had an old grievance with Wang Yunhe, the Emperor had chosen the other prime minister to oversee building the tomb for his late mother, so that her spirit would not feel ill at ease.
Wang Yunhe had considerably more white hair now, and appeared thinner. Seeing Zhù Ying, he relaxed slightly and leaned back. “You’ve come. Sit down.”
Zhù Ying thanked him and sat. Wang Yunhe looked at this young person before him. In the year all the prime ministers had united in rare harmony, they had sent out many promising young officials to the regions — some of them diligent and hardworking, some of whom had died on the road, some whose high ambitions and low abilities had led to poor performance and official reprimands.
Among those who had governed their localities in a manner that brought satisfaction, a few had gone further and brought genuine innovation. In that respect, the one before him had no equal. What Wang Yunhe appreciated even more was that Zhù Ying’s physical constitution was genuinely excellent — young, energetic, and never once reported ill. This was truly precious. What good was the highest ability, if one burned out and died in a couple of years?
Zhù Ying asked after Wang Yunhe, then remarked that he looked “thinner.”
Wang Yunhe said, “Youth is a wonderful thing!”
“Eh?”
Wang Yunhe said, “No more pleasantries — let’s talk proper business.”
“Yes.”
“The Ying tribe, the Asu family — are they trustworthy?”
Zhù Ying said, “They are trustworthy now. Were they not also trustworthy several decades ago? At a single word from the prefect, the local lords converged.”
Wang Yunhe said, “I was asking the wrong question. As things stand now — is it feasible? Hmm — a woman: does her father have no sons?”
Zhù Ying said, “He has several — her father thought none of them suitable. I understand your point, Senior Councilor. There will be objections to this at court. But if not under these conditions, why would the Asu family have been the first to express a desire to submit to the court?”
“Because they need us.”
“Yes. As for the court — it is only a nominal arrangement in any case. As long as she can keep her people under control, that is all I require.”
Wang Yunhe said, “That does not sound like something you would normally say.”
Zhù Ying said, “Force of circumstance.”
She explained her observations to Wang Yunhe: controlling the mountain regions was extremely difficult. “There are no roads. One cannot say there are entirely no roads, but there are no official roads, no wide paths — official orders do not get through, let alone the movement of people, equipment, and provisions. The language is also different: the local dialects of the south are already hard enough to understand, and each ethnic group has its own language on top of that.”
Wang Yunhe asked further: “Once enfeoffed, under a nominal administration, she would become in some sense a court official. If she used that as a base to expand her power and unify all the tribal peoples — that could become a serious threat to the court. And if a local official were to abuse the people, even ordinary registered households would flee into the deep mountains. Ah — “
Zhù Ying said, “I do not think she can grow very large, and I do not think any single group can grow very large. The mountains carve the people up into countless small fragments. The distance across which people can maintain contact shrinks; and the territory a single lord can effectively control is constrained by this as well — it will never be especially large. Those past occasions when several groups rose together — it was not because some ‘king of the Liao’ commanded it with one word. It was because the court’s own prefect commanded it with one word, and brought it on himself.
They have no writing. Without writing, it is impossible to sustain any great extent of territory. Pass a message through three people and it will have changed entirely. What kind of order can be successfully carried out? It would be more practical for the court to separately enfeoff each family and clan under a system of nominal local governance, rather than subjugating some supposed ‘king of the barbarians’ — and far more convenient as well.”
These conclusions had all emerged from her investigation, observation, and reflection. And this was also why she was not yet suggesting that the Asu family immediately register households and land and begin paying taxes. She could not even determine accurately how many people were there. What taxes were there to collect? She had thought at first that they might contribute something symbolic, on a per-household basis. But the more she understood, the more that impulse faded. Doing this required a great many people who were “not producing anything” — all to be supported by the commoners — and in mountain areas where agricultural output, especially grain, was already low, there was very little capacity to feed very many who ate without producing.
People! Large numbers of literate people, versed in official regulations, going in to conduct a census — even in ordinary county seats such people were scarce, and she already had to work the county school students like pack animals. Go into the mountains?
Better to go back and put up a few more character-identification stones in Sicheng County, and hope that a few talented villagers in remote villages might learn a few more characters from those stones. That was more realistic.
Wang Yunhe listened attentively. These reflections from Zhù Ying gave him genuine pleasure.
Wang Yunhe then asked: “What — is one Su Mingluan not enough for you? Who else have you set your sights on?”
Zhù Ying smiled. “I haven’t gotten my hands on anyone yet. But…” She carefully broached the topic: “If given a bit more time, I could find a few more. Only — I’m not sure… whether I could be allowed to stay on another three years?”
Wang Yunhe neither agreed nor declined. “Already thinking about the next one?”
He asked a number of further questions about the situation in Fulu County. Hearing that more than two-thirds of the farmland had been planted with winter wheat, and that Sicheng County had also planted a substantial amount and conditions were looking good, he then inquired further into Sicheng County as well. Zhù Ying answered everything in detail.
Wang Yunhe said, “Hmm — not bad. You may go now. Wait for His Majesty’s summons — it should be within the next two days. Don’t go wandering.”
“Yes.”
Zhù Ying took her leave of the Council of State, exhaled slowly, and thought: she had not noticed any displeasure in Wang Yunhe, nor had she detected any sign of trouble from Wang Yunhe’s bearing — and by the look of things, the Emperor had no particular grievance against her either, and his temper had not gone entirely sour.
Lan Youzhi escorted her out again. She thanked him for his trouble. Lan Youzhi said, “These past days, Senior Councilor Wang has not been in such good spirits as today.”
Zhù Ying said, “Could you tell?”
“Not by looking — by smell,” Lan Youzhi said with an air of mystery. “When the atmosphere is off, you can feel it.”
The two walked away from the Council of State together, heading back toward the palace gate. Not far ahead, a group of people was hurrying past carrying a small box toward the imperial city. Lan Youzhi said, “Another propitious omen! Let’s get out of the way.”
“A propitious omen?”
“Yes — a sacred fungus grown from a roof beam. And along with it, a ‘human auspice’ — reportedly someone over a hundred years old. Did you not encounter them on the road? They’re almost here too. Before that, there was some jade stone that had letters in it naturally, reading ‘a lord of Yao and Shun.'”
Zhù Ying thought of her own white-feathered pheasant, and swallowed the quip that had come to her lips. She had wanted to pay a visit to the Court of Judicial Review, but glancing up at the sky, it was nearly the end of the official day, and she could only go home first.
Outside the imperial city, Xiang Le was still waiting outside with the horse. Someone who had recognized the horse was asking Xiang Le about it. Xiang Le’s official speech still carried a noticeable accent; he could understand most of what others said, but not everyone could understand him. One person was telling him: “I don’t need you to answer — just nod or shake your head!”
Xiang Le nodded.
The person asked: “Is this Magistrate Zhù’s horse — Zhù Ying?”
Xiang Le nodded.
“You came with him? Is he inside?”
“Old Zuo!” Zhù Ying called out.
Zuo Cheng spun around instantly: “Xiao Zhù? Magistrate…”
Zhù Ying strode over. “Just Xiao Zhù — you’re about to tack those last two words on, and you’re doing it awkwardly. I can already hear how wrong it’ll sound.”
“That simply won’t do,” said Zuo Cheng, “When did you get back?”
“Today. Walk with me?”
Zuo Cheng nodded, and the two fell into step. “Still in the old place?”
“Yes. Tomorrow I might be busy — waiting for the imperial summons, and I also have to pay my respects to Leng since he’s a prefect now. How is he… getting along?”
Zuo Cheng smiled wryly. “Better than Lord Zheng.”
“Lord Zheng knows his own situation.”
Zuo Cheng said, “Don’t even bring that up — he, just this morning, was relieved of his post.”
“What? Why?”
Zuo Cheng leaned close to her ear and said in a low voice: “I don’t know all the details either, but it still involves the Eastern Palace. Apparently the Emperor discovered that the Crown Prince had not observed proper mourning conduct during the Empress Dowager’s funeral — something to do with the Crown Princess or someone like that who committed an impropriety — and in the end Lord Zheng took the blame. Ah…”
Zhù Ying said, “And now he is…”
“At home, most likely. It would be best for you not to call on him before you’ve had your audience with the Emperor. Ah…”
Zhù Ying said, “Thank you for telling me all this — I’ll treat you to wine in a couple of days.”
“Just don’t make me drink.”
The two smiled ruefully and went their separate ways.
Xiang Le was always quiet and subdued, but on the way back he could not help twisting around to look at the magnificent, imposing palace walls. Zhù Ying also stopped, and the two of them looked back together. Xiang Le quickly collected himself and said, “I lost my composure.”
Zhù Ying said, “You wanted to look — take a good long look. There’s nothing wrong with that. The first time I came past here I thought: those walls are genuinely tall.”
Xiang Le smiled. “The palace in the heavens — so this is what it looks like. I wonder what kind of people live inside and what manner of bearing they carry…”
“Emperors and ministers — all ordinary people,” said Zhù Ying.
Xiang Le glanced about carefully in all four directions. Zhù Ying was amused, and said lightly: “You and I are also ordinary people. Everyone is ordinary — those inside are nothing remarkable.”
Xiang Le said, “It is because you are not an ordinary person that you can say such things of those inside.”
Zhù Ying said, “Let me tell you one thing — Lan De is also in there.”
Watching Xiang Le rendered speechless, Zhù Ying said, “Let’s go — home! There’ll be plenty to keep us busy!”