“According to court regulations, last year it was Your Excellency who went to the capital — this year it should be the Deputy Governor’s turn, and next year the Chief Secretary’s,” Zhù Ying said, as though she had not heard the implied meaning in Leng Yun’s words.
Having blurted out what was on his mind, Leng Yun was now regretful. When Zhù Ying brought up the court’s regulations to counter him, he composed himself and said, “Exactly — can’t have me monopolizing all the good things. Keep a closer eye on Fulu County’s affairs.”
“Understood.”
What Leng Yun cared about was still the winter wheat. He was wholly incapable of attending to the fine details of various administrative matters, so he had decided to answer on the “big issues.” The winter wheat had been Zhù Ying’s original initiative; to claim credit for it would be ungentlemanly, but the prefecture-wide rollout could not bypass him as Governor. Leng Yun patted his chest and promised, “As long as it goes well, I’ll request merit commendations for you.”
Zhù Ying naturally thanked Leng Yun.
Leng Yun then asked, “How much wheat seed can Southern Prefecture produce this year?”
“Has Your Excellency not already brought back a portion himself?”
“That still isn’t enough for one prefecture’s needs! Besides Southern Prefecture, there are two other prefectures that also need some.”
“What I have on hand will barely suffice for Southern Prefecture for one year. If Your Excellency needs some, I can only spare another thousand bushels at most. Wheat seed is selected from the finest of each harvest; it can yield well, but not everything harvested can serve as seed — I hope Your Excellency understands.”
Leng Yun frowned: “That’s nowhere near enough.”
Zhù Ying said, “Was it not agreed between us? The plan was never to plant all the farmland at once, but to go in batches, watching the results. Even so, by the time Your Excellency makes your next personal trip to the capital, the rollout across the whole prefecture should be more or less complete.”
Zhù Ying had previously given Leng Yun a full briefing on how to grow winter wheat, and at the time he had agreed to everything quite readily. Now he was getting impatient again — hard to say what had gotten into him. Zhù Ying patiently walked Leng Yun through the situation in Southern Prefecture. She had been cultivating winter wheat in Fulu County for three or four years; only this autumn could she call it fully spread across the entire county, and that had already gone very smoothly.
When Leng Yun heard that there would be results by the time of his next trip to the capital, he grudgingly accepted this, then lamented the Fulu County magistrate’s “ill fortune” again: “Just as things were coming together, to die in the prime of life — what a pity, what a shame!”
Zhù Ying said, “I wonder when the next one will come.”
Leng Yun shook his head. “You still don’t know those people at the Ministry of Personnel? They rotate through everyone in turn — just wait. No matter what, it’ll be the next round at the earliest. I’m already missing three county magistrates over here!”
Zhù Ying said, “At least Southern Prefecture’s supervisory administrator will be arriving soon.”
Leng Yun gave Zhù Ying a sidelong look and said, “Getting a deputy doesn’t necessarily mean good news. Keep your wits about you — don’t be too open-hearted with everyone. Who knows whether the one coming is a person or a devil.” At the mention of his own deputy, Leng Yun was filled with grievances. Though he had long indulged his staff in their power struggles with the subordinate officials, by now things had merely settled into a state of mutual checks — his own words did not carry quite the authority he wanted, which greatly displeased him.
Zhù Ying said, “Whether person or devil, I simply do my own work. If he truly has his heart set on serving the public, I will get along with him well. If we are, unfortunately, not of the same mind… I treat people with courtesy because I personally feel we are fellow travelers. If the words don’t fit, then I won’t be so courteous either. My temper has never been especially good — you know that well.”
Leng Yun burst out laughing: “You do know how to exasperate people. If only you were my Deputy Governor!”
Zhù Ying said, “Then I’ll strive to do my work well first, then we’ll talk about promotion. I only fear my abilities are limited and I’ll still be slogging through the waiting period.”
Leng Yun said, “Tsk! You’ve picked up that tone of polite deflection from Zheng Qi! I think you’re going to make it.”
Zhù Ying smiled along with him, then asked whether Leng Yun had adjusted to the prefectural capital’s climate. Leng Yun said, “Better than when I first arrived, but still tiresome. I see the locals themselves are always irritable.”
“But the produce is wonderful. It was only after coming here that I understood what it means to say pearls and gems can bring a hundredfold profit — I’ve bought quite a few pearls.” Zhù Ying laughed.
“Really?”
“The price aside, being at the source means you have more to choose from and can find the finest quality. No matter how good something is, there’s always some loss during transport; what we see in the capital may not always be the very best. That can’t be helped.”
Leng Yun stroked his chin: “True enough — take lychees, for instance. The palace receives only a tiny amount each year, and even that comes at the cost of exhausted horses and riders, just to deliver so little. Ah, if only lychees and things like them didn’t spoil so easily — people here could enjoy them more often.” Both Leng household members were elderly, and his grandmother the Commandery Princess was even older — none of them were suited to traveling down to the south for a taste of fruit. Leng Yun felt quite regretful about this.
Zhù Ying’s brow gave a small twitch. The truth was she had some ideas about transporting fresh fruit — but… never mind. It was not a serious matter. She said, “Our family only began to see so much fresh fruit after coming here. Father and Mother, unfortunately, started having too-hot reactions from eating it. You haven’t eaten too much, have you, Your Excellency?”
“It’s been all right,” Leng Yun said. He had not grown up in poverty like Zhù Da and Zhang Xiangu; when he encountered good things, he could generally exercise restraint.
The two talked casually for a while longer, and then Leng Yun said, “Keep a number in your head — when everyone gathers tomorrow to report back, the presentation needs to look good.”
“Understood.”
Advisor Xue had been anxious throughout, and he finally found an opening: “Prefect, let me see you out.”
“Fine. Go and check on his accommodations at the guesthouse as well — this person always arranges everything well for others and never pays attention to himself.”
Zhù Ying thanked Leng Yun again; Advisor Xue was on the verge of thumping his own chest to swear he would settle her in comfortably. The two were finally able to leave the Governor’s residence.
The moment Advisor Xue stepped outside Leng Yun’s small reception hall, his anxiety could no longer be concealed: “Prefect Zhù, the Governor is deeply concerned about the winter wheat — is it truly going to take several more years?”
Zhù Ying said, “That’s only natural. Ten years to grow a tree, a hundred years to cultivate a person — but wheat is not a tree. Scale it down, and it’s still three to five years, isn’t it? For Fulu County, I can say that we’re more or less there now. For the others, I can’t give inflated figures. Otherwise, once the court starts levying taxes, every weakness will be exposed. What’s more…”
She lowered her voice; Advisor Xue held his breath and listened: “This whole circuit still has outstanding unpaid taxes, doesn’t it? That needs to be cleared too. Even Southern Prefecture has some old debts. Back then it took me a great deal of hard bargaining with Deputy Director Xian to win a five-year grace period — why would I jump into a pit myself? Oh — but the grain and tax accounts, those are managed by Director Dong…”
“Ah!” Advisor Xue said suddenly. “You’re right, of course.”
Zhù Ying gave no further reaction. The division of duties between Directors Dong and Xue was broadly: Director Dong handled finances and grain; Advisor Xue handled justice and law — a rough division. During the Huang Shier case, Xue had remained stationed while Dong had accompanied the delegation, which gave Director Dong an advantage. Although both their names had been submitted in the report, the ordering of names in official documents carries significance. Generally speaking, unless there are special circumstances or some deliberate signal being sent, importance follows the order listed. In that document Director Dong’s name appeared first and he received recognition; Advisor Xue’s and others’ names followed, and they did not.
Zhù Ying’s own memorial recommending merit had followed the same logic.
Both had come south together; Advisor Xue’s dissatisfaction was entirely understandable.
Zhù Ying said, “Clearing the old debts would itself be a fine achievement. The Governor will notice.”
“Let us hope so.”
“He certainly will.”
The two spoke as they exited the Governor’s residence. Advisor Xue escorted Zhù Ying to the guesthouse and asked her again about the winter wheat situation in Southern Prefecture. Zhù Ying told him: “Fulu County should be finished this year; the remaining three counties should each be halfway there; by next year, barring any disasters, Southern Prefecture will be more or less set. I’ll also take the opportunity to clear up the old outstanding tax arrears.”
There was only so much land. The grain and money that the people paid to the county yamen — some was kept by the county, some forwarded to the prefectural yamen, and some forwarded further to the Governor’s office, which ultimately sent the bulk to the court. At every level there were operating costs, yet production came from only a finite amount of land.
Southern Prefecture also owed the court debts, though not quite as severely as Fulu County had. The remote location and scarcity of good farmland, combined with inferior irrigation compared to the north, meant that even a minor disaster could cause a drastic drop in yield. Even when the court granted tax relief, officials still needed to eat and pay their own levies upward — and the deficits kept growing.
With winter wheat, five years without paying the court anything would allow the people some breathing room; then the old arrears could be collected without driving people to starvation or forcing them to become vagrants. That would mean the prefecture, the prefectures’ subordinates, and the counties could all use this extra income to offset some of their own deficits.
Once the old debts were cleared, the burden lifted, the path forward would be lighter.
Zhù Ying had planned all of this out; and this trip to the prefectural capital had another important matter she needed to discuss with Leng Yun — a revenue-sharing arrangement.
That is, the question of tax revenue apportionment. The layered upward remittances required negotiating the proportion down a little — could Southern Prefecture’s share remitted to the Governor’s office be reduced somewhat? Or could a fixed quota be set? Once agreed with Leng Yun, she could then negotiate with her own four county magistrates about the proportion the prefecture would draw from the counties. This would also help to clear the outstanding tax arrears. The existing precedent for rice was not easy to renegotiate, but the newly grown winter wheat’s share was something she needed to discuss seriously with Leng Yun.
Advisor Xue’s brow creased slightly; Zhù Ying would not relent on any of this. She could fairly certainly say that Leng Yun was so eager about the winter wheat at least partly due to Advisor Xue’s urging.
Finding no support from her, Advisor Xue moaned and sighed: “At this rate, it will be years of wasted time again. I won’t hide it from you, Prefect — I’m past forty, and have accomplished nothing. I’m truly ashamed.”
“How can this be wasted time? Each year brings a harvest.”
Seeing that Advisor Xue’s brow remained clouded, Zhù Ying offered him a suggestion: “Why not speak candidly to Governor Leng about your concerns? Perhaps the Governor has a way for things not to be wasted. The Governor may be unconcerned with small details, but he never loses sight of the bigger picture.”
Advisor Xue bit his lip and said nothing, thinking over the feasibility of this suggestion. Zhù Ying said, “Pick a good moment.” And then she dropped the matter entirely.
Ding Gui came quick-stepping to the door, poked his head in to take a look, then retreated hastily in a show of dodging out of sight.
Advisor Xue felt it would not do to linger further: “You have matters to attend to, Prefect — I won’t impose.”
“What could there possibly be? Unless the court sends something, the Governor’s residence is the highest authority right now.”
Advisor Xue caught a glimpse of the document in Ding Gui’s hand, clasped his hands in salute, and said, “You’ll see the Governor again over these next few days.”
Zhù Ying saw him to the door, then lifted the document from Ding Gui’s hand and gave a quiet laugh: “Sly one.”
The document was very thin, and its numbering showed it was one she had already seen last night. Zhù Ying tossed the document onto the table, then told Ding Gui to summon the three county magistrates and County Chief Mo all over for a small meeting.
The four had been keeping an eye on Zhù Ying’s movements. They had all noticed Advisor Xue’s arrival and departure; when the summons came, they were there immediately.
Zhù Ying said, “I have already seen the Governor. Tomorrow at the assembly, simply report honestly on whatever you have prepared.”
All four agreed.
Zhù Ying added, “One more matter: the newly appointed Fulu County magistrate has unfortunately died en route. When you report to Governor Leng tomorrow, do not use any phrases like ‘once the Fulu County magistrate arrives and so-and-so happens.'”
All four felt a chill in their hearts. Magistrate Guan gave County Chief Mo a meaningful look, full of congratulation. County Chief Mo’s first reaction was delight, followed immediately by alarm — this was bad; he was completely unprepared! As a county chief acting in the magistrate’s absence, once a new magistrate was imminent, he only needed to give cautious answers and deflect anything difficult to the incoming magistrate. Now the magistrate was dead! He would have to step up! But he hadn’t prepared for that! County Chief Mo began to sweat. He also recalled that back at the yamen the other three counties had each fought hard for various things, while he had held back — thinking, “Once the county magistrate arrives, anything I start now may be undone, so why bother? Better to stay the course.” He had said almost nothing!
County Chief Mo was eaten up with regret.
No magistrate to hide behind! Zhù Ying had handed him such a well-run county, and going forward, any failings would be entirely a reflection of his own inadequacy — no new magistrate to blame for not knowing the situation.
County Chief Mo was sick with remorse.
The other three had already revised their mental drafts. A sobering shared thought: to serve as an official in such a remote southern posting was, as they all knew, not merely a matter of an uncertain future — it was a matter of an uncertain life. Even Magistrate Guan, who himself was from the south, was not entirely at ease.
After a brief exchange, Zhù Ying let them go back to prepare for meeting Leng Yun the next day.
……
Zhù Ying brought the county magistrates to meet Leng Yun. She was meticulous about protocol — though she herself could enter quickly, she still walked through every proper procedural step rather than simply pushing her way in.
Leng Yun was receiving everyone in the main hall. Zhù Ying noted that the Deputy Governor, the Chief Secretary, and the others were absent; it was just Leng Yun himself dealing with all the local officials. Directors Dong and Xue and the others stood behind him.
The seating arrangement in the hall also carried significance, first by rank, then by the importance of each prefecture. The county magistrate for the prefectural seat was Magistrate Miao, who sat just after the Prefect. Of the three prefectures under the circuit, Southern Prefecture was fourth. Zhù Ying, being the most recently appointed, the youngest, and governing the least well-off prefecture, sat below Prefect Qiu. Directly across from her was Magistrate Miao.
Below them sat the county magistrates of each prefecture. County Chief Mo occupied the very last seat.
Magistrate Miao looked across at the young figure in red — lips and teeth striking against the red robe, refusing to grow a beard like adults, which made him look even younger!
Leng Yun’s conduct of proceedings was typically unprofessional — breezy and easygoing, yet he would suddenly fixate on some minor detail and ask about it repeatedly. This was usually not deliberate intimidation; in most cases it was because he happened to know only that particular detail, or had just heard about that subject from someone else and had nothing to ask about anything else. He did not expose his ignorance by venturing into territory he did not understand — Leng Yun had his own set of methods for looking authoritative while knowing very little.
This occasion was no exception. Having heard from Zhù Ying certain details about winter wheat cultivation, and having since summoned an experienced farmer to consult, he kept asking Prefect Qiu how wheat seed should be selected — until Prefect Qiu was sweating through his forehead.
County Chief Mo, at his last seat, had been mentally rehearsing for a long time, braced for questions. Leng Yun asked about the first half of the year’s business, then asked how much rent and tax each prefecture and county could deliver in the second half — and then, remarkably, asked almost nothing else. County Chief Mo waited and waited, and in the end only answered the two numbers he had prepared and nothing more.
Finally, Leng Yun stretched and said with a lazy yawn, “Well, that settles things.”
Everyone rose to take their leave.
Back at the guesthouse, Zhù Ying said, “We’ll stay in the prefectural capital one more day. Everyone rest up; if anyone still has business to take care of here, see to it. If you need more time, say so now.”
Magistrate Guo quickly asked, “Does the Prefect have more instructions?”
Zhù Ying said, “Not for you — we’re neighbors! The others still have matters with me that we haven’t finished discussing.”
All four said they would wait for Zhù Ying’s orders and return to the prefectural city together.
Zhù Ying scanned their faces and said, “Then let’s stay another three days. When three days are up, we go.”
“Yes.”
Zhù Ying turned immediately and went back to the Governor’s residence to discuss the tax revenue sharing arrangement with Leng Yun. The winter wheat in Fulu County had been growing for several years; within another two years it would need to be taxed. The agreement with the court was done; now the agreement with the Governor’s office needed to be sorted out.
Leng Yun said, “Why didn’t you bring this up just now?”
Zhù Ying said, “Just now there were so many people watching. If Your Excellency had wanted to rebuke me, I’d have had nowhere to put my face. Now, talking privately, even if you scold me hard it’s fine.”
Leng Yun laughed and scolded her: “Only you are this cunning!”
He still bargained with her, wanting the winter wheat harvest to be taxed at the same rate as the existing rice harvest. Zhù Ying said, “Your Excellency, each prefecture and county has outstanding unpaid taxes! The prefecture’s and counties’ debts are also owed to the Governor’s office! Clearing these is no small undertaking. And furthermore…”
She lowered her voice; Advisor Xue, listening sharply, blurted, “Ah! Yes, you’re right!”
Zhù Ying remained impassive. The duties of Directors Dong and Xue — Dong managed finances and Xue managed law — were broadly divided. During the Huang Shier case, when Xue held the fort and Dong accompanied the delegation, Dong had gained an advantage. Though both names appeared in the document together, the ordering of names carries meaning. The more important typically come first. In that document, Director Dong’s name appeared first and he was recognized; Xue and the others came after and were not.
Zhù Ying’s merit memorial had followed the same principle.
Both had come south together; Advisor Xue’s dissatisfaction was entirely understandable.
Leng Yun said, “Oh? Is it really that much? Director Dong just mentioned clearing the old debts too.”
Zhù Ying said, “It’s not the amount that matters — it’s the fact of the debt. As long as it remains unpaid, it is perpetually a debt, and you can’t do anything else. This is, after all, a poor and barren region; if it were wealthy, no one would regard it as a hardship post.”
“Is that so! How much can the three prefectures produce?”
“Your Excellency wants to calculate how much you stand to lose, I imagine?” said Zhù Ying. “Since you’ve decided to take the loss, you might as well make the gesture a generous one — announce it when everyone assembles in the prefectural capital again. It will come as a pleasant surprise to every prefecture and county.”
Leng Yun thought it over, then gave a sideways curl of his lips: “Only you know how to work your tricks! Clearly you want to be the good person yourself! Tsk — always showing compassion to the weak and poor. Fine! I agree.” After all, it was all extra income anyway.
Leng Yun had a rough sense of money — “more or less” — without knowing the exact figures. As long as he knew his income would increase, even if by a little less than it might have, he nodded his assent.
Zhù Ying said, “Thank you, Your Excellency.”
Leng Yun sighed again: “If only you were my Deputy Governor!”
Zhù Ying said, “If I were your Deputy Governor right now, that would truly be a precocious achievement — and quite the promotion.”
Leng Yun also smiled; he knew this was not entirely realistic.
Zhù Ying, having settled the tax revenue sharing arrangement with Leng Yun — the main business in the prefectural capital accomplished — then took Ding Gui and the others to browse the city, purchasing a batch of pearls, southern produce, and various tonics. Reviewing her mental list, she estimated that preparations for Zheng Lin’s wedding were about eighty percent complete — the biggest single item handled. After that came ordinary gifts. Now that she was Prefect, her finances were considerably more comfortable; she had also squeezed out an extra season’s income from Prefect Qiu, so she spent more freely — her gifts to various people were a good deal more generous than before.
She did her calculations: her household could still keep more of a surplus than in Fulu County days. Not lavishly wealthy, but satisfying.
Ding Gui and the others following her were dazzled; Xiang Le was especially astonished, and once again confirmed his conviction: someone truly capable is capable of anything — if the Prefect went into commerce, no one else would stand a chance.
Zhù Ying asked them, “Aren’t you buying anything? Xiang Le?”
Xiang Le said, “I am here to serve the Prefect — how could I…”
Zhù Ying said, “You’re on an errand away from home — buying a few things for your family is only natural. As long as the official duties are handled well, attending to some personal business is human nature. If you neglect your duties I’ll punish you; but if you don’t, you’re free to do as you like.”
Xiang Le had some money; Ding Gui and the others, newly in service, had not saved much, so Xiang Le lent them some without charging interest. They all followed Zhù Ying in buying goods; her eye for quality and her bargaining skills were both far sharper than theirs, and they picked up quite a few fine things on her coattails.
Xiang Le did his mental arithmetic: even selling the pearls in Southern Prefecture would yield a profit. This whole trip had been genuinely worthwhile. Traveling with Zhù Ying, moreover, he had not had to pay any taxes along the way — more savings still. Enough to cover Elder Martial Sister’s rent for several years, with some left over for pearls and jewelry for his mother and sister.
They also went to visit the Fulu County native-place association hall. County Chief Mo and Magistrate Guan were there too. The association people had known they would come but not exactly when; County Chief Mo had sent word ahead, so they also wanted to pay their respects to Zhù Ying — and found that everyone had had the same idea at the same time.
Zhù Ying saw Magistrate Guan: “You too?”
Magistrate Guan said quietly, “Prefect — surely Fulu County can’t be the only one with a native-place association, can it?”
County Chief Mo said, “Old Guan — you say this right to my face?”
Everyone who heard it laughed. The association’s presiding members had changed by rotation; the current hosts were the Lei family, who had suffered in the earlier case, and they were nervous — afraid of losing business, yet knowing they could not hold out against Southern Prefecture.
Zhù Ying said, “That’s something to work out later.” Four counties — none of them under her direct jurisdiction. Would it be a joint association for all four county gentry, or something else? How would the rotation work? Where would it be based? Surely not five associations in one prefectural city — one for each county and one for Southern Prefecture as a whole? That would be wasteful. Southern Prefecture was poor; for now it could not afford to lose money.
Magistrate Guan deflated.
Zhù Ying looked at the Fulu association — it was operating reasonably well — and said, “Can’t you negotiate among yourselves? You tell them what you need from them, agree on terms, and they’d be willing enough. When you have an association of your own, you help them in turn.”
Magistrate Guan said, “That’s exactly what I was going to suggest.” But having your own was more convenient — and hearing Zhù Ying’s words, was she indicating she had plans for his county too?
Zhù Ying would not say something like that without having a complete plan in mind. She sipped a cup of sugarcane juice and left.
……
From the prefectural capital to the prefectural city, the whole party was eager to get home.
Arriving at the prefectural city, Zhù Ying let them rest for a day and held a meeting the day after; she herself needed time to deal with the accumulated backlog of affairs.
She had left Gu Tong behind to hold the fort. After changing her clothes and handing over what she had bought to Huajie and Zhang Xiangu, she turned to the front courtyard. Gu Tong immediately came up to report: “Teacher, just received an official document — the newly appointed Fulu County magistrate died of illness on the road.”
“I know — that document was sent by me in the first place.”
“The old files and old cases have been partially reviewed over these past days. I’ve also spotted a few questionable ones. When Department Head Wang and Department Head Li were reviewing them, it seemed they were fairly impartial — they didn’t hide too much.”
Zhù Ying laughed: “Of course not. They’re not stupid enough to miss this opportunity to bring past oversights through legitimate channels. Anything that comes out now I can still cover for; if it surfaces later, their trouble will be far greater. Though there are always those with shortsighted enough vision to think they can keep things hidden until they’re at death’s door.”
Gu Tong reported on several other yamen matters: “Mistress Jiang and Xiao Jiang have both moved out. Two rooms were allocated to Xiao Jiang; she and Mistress Jiang are sharing them. Mistress Jiang has been taking the female runners to… examine corpses… ah…”
Zhù Ying laughed.
Gu Tong said, “But as a result, they’ve been keeping their distance from Mistress Jiang — and the gossip has shifted into a different form.”
Zhù Ying said, “At least it’s a step up from the old kind.”
“Yes.”
Then came the question of security in the yamen. Gu Tong and the others had observed for several days and reported no gaps. Zhù Ying asked, “Are you certain?”
Gu Tong nodded: “Third Sister Xiang played burglar herself and tried to get in. She came in through the rear courtyard, sedated our two dogs, and was then pecked by the geese.”
Zhù Ying burst out laughing: “Xiao Ya has taken up keeping geese again?”
“She bypassed two guard posts at the front yamen; at the crossing point, the third post spotted her.”
Xiang Le said, “She’s been causing trouble again! Really reckless!”
Zhù Ying said, “Never mind — that’s more or less the idea.” Still, Xiang An’s skills were not enormously impressive — if it had been Zhù Ying herself, with enough patience, she could still have infiltrated. But what they had was already quite good. The prefectural yamen walls were a bit higher than a county yamen’s — comparatively secure.
Then Department Head Wang and the others came to report, turning up all manner of old business. Zhù Ying went through it all and annotated each matter. Items with plausible justifications she noted accordingly. Some affairs had been handled badly — and yet in some cases even the complainants were gone, making it impossible to investigate further. In the prefectural city, with yamen officials deliberately showing favoritism, it had been very hard for complainants to go on living locally.
All told, though the old debts were numerous, none were quite as excessive as the Huang Shier case in Sicheng County — just barely enough to paper over. Zhù Ying first noted their transgressions and let them redeem themselves through meritorious service.
The next day, another meeting with all four counties.
Zhù Ying began by asking about each county’s grain storage situation, then about the workforce available for corvée labor, and after that the progress of the literacy steles. The distribution of wheat seed would happen after the autumn harvest, but the allocation could be decided now — there was no need to wait for the Fulu County magistrate.
The four counties immediately fell into another argument over wheat seed. County Chief Mo now demanded extra be kept for Fulu County! Magistrate Guan said, “Don’t think I don’t know — what’s in your county yamen’s storage is all the extra surplus. The households that have already been growing it have each kept their own seed stock. You don’t actually need this much! If it’s distributed, by next year after the harvest they’ll return the seed to you — you won’t run short!”
County Chief Mo was livid; he had forgotten that this man was his old superior and knew Fulu County inside out.
He was also very stubborn: “Prefect, the seeds brought back from the court by Fulu County have already been distributed widely! Subtracting what you distributed while serving in Fulu County, the county now only needs to produce another five hundred bushels to settle the debt with the court! And you allocated a large amount to Sicheng County as well! Did Sicheng County not keep any seed? And He Dong and Nanping both got shares too! You can’t give them so much!”
He had no fear of Magistrate Guan now — they were all the Prefect’s former subordinates. Who was better than whom?
The four broke into a heated argument. Zhù Ying had to re-allocate: Fulu County’s point was valid, so they would put out another five hundred bushels. Meanwhile, the yamen’s own office fields had a surplus, which Zhù Ying could draw from to allocate to the other three counties — Sicheng County would receive less; the other two a bit more. Come spring harvest, the three counties would return the seed to her.
Private arrangements among the four counties she would leave alone.
After the four counties finally settled down — still moaning and complaining about poverty in the meantime — Zhù Ying herself had done exactly the same kind of complaining at the Ministry of Revenue and to the Governor’s office, so she knew they were faking, and paid it no mind.
She then raised the question of clearing the outstanding arrears: “Now that there is extra income, the overdue taxes can be worked through.”
Magistrate Guan could not help casting a resentful look at her — she had cleared all of Fulu County’s! The other three would have to manage on their own. Magistrate Wang was the most aggrieved of all: Fulu County’s had been cleared, Magistrate Guan had the surplus from seizing Huang Shier’s assets, Nanping County’s arrears were the smallest of the three and just needed a push to pay them off — only he was stuck!
He could not help wanting to ask for more wheat seed.
Zhù Ying said, “Plant this much this year; next year I’ll give you more.” She calculated: this would double every year — the further along, the faster the rollout. By next year the entire prefecture could be planted.
For clearing outstanding tax debts she also had a trump card — rooting out hidden farmland and unregistered households! A long-term benefit. As long as officials went out to the villages to explain the tax policies clearly, and at the same time kept their word not to levy extra, official registration would become an attractive enough proposition. Beyond that, after going around both counties, she had also formed some ideas about what additional crops they might grow — which would make attracting people even easier.
Finally, she brought out the knife: “Now let’s discuss the tax on the wheat harvest after it comes in!”
All four counties were shaken, but could not disobey. They could only grit their teeth and continue to negotiate. Even toward an superior, they could not help cursing her inwardly for being “crafty” — she had come fully prepared while the four of them had not seen this coming at all! Zhù Ying had squeezed a bit from above and shaved a bit from below, and issued an official document. She intended to use the proceeds to improve Southern Prefecture’s condition — renovating grain storage, rewarding the府 school, and also supporting the establishment of the native-place association hall.
A single shared association hall for all of Southern Prefecture — each county contributing a share was only fair.
With those few matters settled, she released the four county magistrates.
Magistrate Guo lived right next door and immediately began preparations for the literacy steles. Zhù Ying had experience and set out the steps; knowing perfectly well that the “educational achievement” credit was out of his reach, Magistrate Guo nevertheless understood that to please his superior he still had to do what needed to be done.
On her own end, Zhù Ying invited Southern Prefecture’s Commander Mei to the yamen for a meal and a consultation.
Commander Mei oversaw two thousand troops — a major force. As a result, the Southern Prefecture Military Department’s authority had been greatly diminished. Zhù Ying first apologized to Commander Mei, saying she should have made time long ago to have a proper conversation with him.
By then Commander Mei already knew everything she had been up to. He was deeply impressed by her — a formidable figure — and quickly said, “The Prefect was right to put official business first.”
“It is precisely for official business — take the earlier Huang Shier case. If it hadn’t been for the Commander serving as our anchor, not only would I have been in dire straits, but even the Governor would have found himself in danger!”
Commander Mei demurred appropriately and said, “Duty demanded it! And dealing with the Prefect is most refreshing! She also allocated grain and provisions to us — the soldiers have been asking when something like that might happen again.”
Zhù Ying laughed: “That’s exactly the point. I’ll need to call on the Commander often in the future — please don’t find it a bother.”
“That won’t happen!”
Zhù Ying asked with concern: “During the Huang Shier case I was rather stretched for funds and couldn’t allocate very much. But from your tone, Commander, it seems things were not so bad? Might there be some issues with the garrison…”
Commander Mei understood immediately: “Men and horses to feed! And having been stationed in one place for a long time, some soldiers have started bringing family along. This…”
Zhù Ying said, “If this goes on, won’t morale collapse? That simply can’t happen. Unfortunately I was censured back in Fulu County — I can’t repeat the same kind of move.”
She offered Commander Mei two suggestions. First: winter wheat seed, given to him free of charge, so that the land under Commander Mei’s management could grow two harvests a year. Second: she would provide funds, under the legitimate justification that — in the damp south, equipment deteriorated easily, so this was a subsidy for replacing armor and weapons. Not a full replacement every year, of course, but delivered under the guise of rotation. The money would also be distributed by rank — Commander Mei would receive the most, with amounts decreasing down the line.
“I dare not give too much for now — back in Fulu County with a hundred-odd people it was fine, but the Commander’s two thousand men have some implications.”
Commander Mei said, “Quite right — when commanding troops away from home, caution is always best.”
Zhù Ying also promised that if Southern Prefecture developed any new profitable ventures in the future, Commander Mei could participate. Commander Mei asked, “Oranges again? My land there could grow them too. And I do have some capital. It’s not that I’m greedy for money — the military pay and provisions were fixed at the founding of the dynasty and have barely changed in all these years!”
Zhù Ying said, “I understand — ours haven’t changed much either.”
“Officer’s pay has gone up a bit,” Commander Mei said fairly, “and there are also tax-exempt fields. But the rank-and-file soldiers’ pay is an enormous headache to raise — add even a small amount and it multiplies across so many tens of thousands of men. The Ministry of Revenue and the Council of State both shake their heads the moment they hear it, and are willing to give only the tiniest increase. Here it’s also different from more peaceful regions — when suppressing bandits there aren’t enough men and we have to recruit extra ourselves, which means we worry about pay ourselves too.”
Zhù Ying said, “While I am here, I will share hardship and good fortune with the Commander alike. And I have one improper request.”
“The Prefect need only say it.”
“Please maintain strict military discipline.”
“Hmm? That’s not a fair thing to say, is it? None of my soldiers have ever caused trouble!”
Zhù Ying laughed: “If they had caused trouble, I would come to reason with the Commander directly — not ask for it as a favor.”
“Oh, I see. I was wondering who’d been talking nonsense.”
“I ask because I will certainly have something to ask of the Commander in the future, and I had to say this first.”
“Oh? What matter?”
“If I said it now it wouldn’t work out. The Commander will know when the time comes.”
Commander Mei’s appetite was thoroughly whetted, but with no answer forthcoming, he returned to his camp carrying the good news of something extra in the coffers.
……
Zhù Ying came back and was thrown into another stretch of busy work before finally catching her breath. The court’s reply to her official memorials had also arrived.
The Board of Revision and the Ministry of Justice had approved her judgments. The Justice Deputy and the Merits Deputy were to be exiled. That day, they were dragged to the yamen gate and each given twenty strokes of the plank, then fitted with cangues and marched off into exile.
The local gentry of the prefectural city all held their breath, anxious that she might be about to take aim at someone else. But instead she left the gentry largely alone; she went once more to the府 school to look at the students’ monthly examination papers. Then she issued an official document announcing the “agreed” results of her negotiations with the four county magistrates — specifically, the allocation of enrollment slots.
Zhù Ying had always held one principle: people had to see there was something in it for them before they could be bound more tightly together. When the document came out, only Nanping County was in an uproar. Nanping County’s academic performance had always been the strongest, and the students felt this was a way of stripping Nanping County of its share to give to the other three. They circulated a petition, submitted through the student with the best results — a young man named Zou Jinxian — and presented it to the yamen.
Zhù Ying read it through and could not suppress a laugh. She summoned the students to the yamen and had the Academy Director list each student’s county of origin.
Zou Jinxian said, “Prefect, from this it seems that all four counties have two or more slots and nothing appears to have changed. Yet some counties have only two slots; if they recommend those with no learning at all and the formally qualified compete in the general examination — those guaranteed two slots would be obtained under false pretenses. Then what?”
“Those recommended will also be assessed,” Zhù Ying said patiently. “If the writing makes no sense, those who submitted the recommendation will be held accountable.”
Zou Jinxian and the others were still unwilling to accept this: “Dare I ask, Prefect — even after passing the assessment, they might still not beat us in the examination. Is that not so? Would that not mean the府 school still harbors those who fill the quota without merit?”
Zhù Ying said lightly, “The Jing Wu who filled the quota without merit has already been dismissed.”
Zou Jinxian fell silent. It was true that Jing Wu’s scholarship had been poor — Zou Jinxian himself did not believe Jing Wu could have passed the entrance examination on his own merits. He said, “It’s precisely because you are different from those who came before, Prefect, that we students dared to come and speak. If you were as mediocre and passive as the others, we would not bother.”
Zhù Ying was not angered. She came down from the dais and asked kindly, “Is Fulu County part of Southern Prefecture?”
“It is.”
“Is it under court jurisdiction?”
“It is.”
“Do the scholars of Fulu County read the Classics?”
“They do — but they’re not very good at…”
“Then precisely because they do,” Zhù Ying said, “the court cannot wash its hands of them, cannot leave them unattended.”
“Why doesn’t the Prefect send eminent scholars to lecture them? And you, Prefect — after becoming Fulu County’s magistrate, you also opened a school there. Didn’t students from there eventually come through?”
The students all found Zou Jinxian’s logic compelling and could not grasp what Zhù Ying was saying. “Let the able rise, let the incompetent fall” — wasn’t that the principle? They began to murmur among themselves; the Academy Director hastily called for order.
Zhù Ying asked, “How many students from Southern Prefecture have gone on to higher things? Where, on your own merits, could you get to?”
Zou Jinxian’s face flushed red. He knew that if tested outside, his scholarship might not gain him entry to a higher institution — he had seen the National University’s curriculum, and had seen the lecture notes Zhao Su had copied. There were certainly many talented people in the world, and those with superior scholarship he respected — but he could not tolerate people taking shortcuts.
Zhù Ying sighed: “You bookworm. I used to be the Fulu County magistrate, and now I’m ensuring the府 school permanently allocates slots to Fulu County — is that what you mean?”
Zou Jinxian said, “I am willing to listen to the Prefect’s guidance.”
“Do you think I am acting from partiality and sentimentality, or do you think my perspective is broader — that I believe Southern Prefecture falls under court jurisdiction, and that Southern Prefecture’s students should have the opportunity to attend higher institutions in the prefectural capital and in the capital itself to broaden their horizons? Hmm?”
“Then we students would also want to study hard and pass our own way out.”
Zhù Ying said lightly, “Pass your way out, my foot — without showing you what’s out there, you don’t even know where you fall short. Your own textbooks are incomplete; what are you going to compete with? You’d have to travel to the capital to study — that’s right, isn’t it? And for those who want to journey there themselves and make their own study trips? You lock yourselves up here fighting over who’s top cricket, while the local officials just watch — then what’s the point of having local officials? What’s the point of having a court? You being capable on your own doesn’t mean you can block everyone else’s path. Where I differ from others is precisely here.”
Zou Jinxian still wanted to say more, but his classmates behind him were already pulling him back. They had all understood Zhù Ying’s meaning: securing slots for Fulu County was not only for Fulu County’s sake — it was rooted in her idea of equal treatment for all, and she would similarly advocate for Southern Prefecture students to gain places at higher institutions.
They had to restrain Zou Jinxian!
The students were all a bit flustered but also emotionally stirred. The Academy Director was somewhat moved too: “Prefect, Zou Jinxian is young and hot-blooded — he’ll come to understand.”
Zhù Ying said, “I looked through the府 school’s examination papers. Several were absolutely appalling — even I couldn’t read through them! Sort that out!”
The Academy Director broke into a sweat: “Yes.”
The府 school students burst into a mix of cheers, with a few among them whose eyes shifted uneasily.
“Dismissed,” said Zhù Ying. She truly did intend to petition for fixed allocation slots at the National University for Southern Prefecture — and not only Southern Prefecture. She was already drafting a memorial in her head: the National University had so many departments and so many students — one slot guaranteed per prefecture was not an excessive ask. If it couldn’t be by prefecture, then one or two per circuit, with the remaining slots open to competition — surely that was acceptable.
Children of high officials could enter the school through their family’s privilege. To strengthen the court’s ties with various regions, giving each region one slot would only further reinforce those connections — wasn’t it a different kind of bonding? From her experience in these remote places, the more time passed, the more even the language became mutually unintelligible!
Gu Tong beside her was deeply moved: “Teacher, what you envision and consider — that truly is governance for the nation!”
Zhù Ying knocked him on the head: “Don’t flatter me.”
“How could I flatter fast enough to catch up?” Gu Tong said with a laugh.
Zhù Ying said, “Back to work!”
Gu Tong sprang up: “Yes!”
Gu Tong went off to find Department Head Wang and continued reviewing the old files together. The yamen’s old archives were not extensive — mainly complete from when Governor Lu had been in charge, which was only a few years back — and they were now close to the end.
As the two of them were looking through things, Xiang An came over: “Prefect. Today when I went to visit Elder Martial Sister, I was asked on the way to convey a request to you.”
“What matter?”
“It’s a rice shop in the city. They’re requesting you write a shop sign for them and are willing to offer a fee for the brushwork.”
Ha! Extra income!
Among the legitimate outside earnings of local officials, the most proper were income from official-managed fields and the local surcharge added when collecting taxes. Beyond that, annual gifts from subordinates at New Year and major festivals — as long as they were not too excessive and there was no overtly transactional exchange — were also tolerable. But “brushwork fees” were legitimate income: writing shop signs, calligraphy commissions, composing epitaphs for tombstones — all of these could command a high price.
Most officials had been educated; their calligraphy could fetch a few coins, though for most people the premium was mostly paid for the title of local official rather than the quality of the brushwork itself. A few individuals combined first-rate calligraphy with exceptional scholarship and went on to become earls and ministers — to obtain something written by such a person was a windfall for the buyer, something to pass down to their descendants.
Zhù Ying sighed: “Very well. Look into the rice shop’s record first — anyone with pending lawsuits, unresolved cases, old criminal matters involving lives, I won’t accept. If they’re clean, accept the commission.”
“Yes.”
A single shop sign could fetch tens of strings of coins. Zhù Ying’s calligraphy could not be called fine brushwork per se, but she had Wang Yunhe’s and Liu Songnian’s letters and such — she could not help occasionally imitating their styles — and a written piece in Southern Prefecture would not be considered beneath anyone’s dignity.
Beyond that there were also epitaphs to write — anywhere from tens to over a hundred strings of coins each. Zhù Ying was very careful: for anyone seeking her brushwork fees, she first sent someone to investigate their background. She wrote no more than one or two pieces a month — and in the process uncovered three individuals with unresolved criminal cases in their backgrounds. Strangely, this could not be blamed on Department Head Li: the complainants had been unwilling to press charges in court — suing the powerful when you are poor not only rarely succeeds but risks retaliation, and in the meantime it disrupts one’s livelihood.
Zhù Ying handled all of those cases.
The result was that fewer and fewer people came seeking her brushwork. After writing one shop sign and one epitaph, Southern Prefecture’s Supervisory Administrator Zhang Jiong finally arrived.