“What?!!!” Commander Mei leapt to his feet. The bowls and dishes on the table in front of him jumped high into the air, landed back on the table, spun around several times along their rims, and only gradually came to rest.
The military camp had a strict ban on alcohol. Constant drills left one terribly bored, so Commander Mei, with nothing to do in his spare time, had taken to getting himself some fat chicken and pork knuckle to eat in his room and pass the time. But the report from his subordinate had killed his appetite entirely — the Prefect of Southern Prefecture had run off into the mountains!
How could this be?!!!
Commander Mei demanded: “When did he leave the city? Where is he now?”
The soldier replied timidly: “Ye-ye-yesterday, he already reached — reached — reached the foot of the mountain.”
Commander Mei flew into a rage: “Are you all useless?! Yesterday’s matter, and you’re only reporting it now?”
The soldier felt himself to be extraordinarily unlucky! Why had it fallen to him to make this report? He said in a small voice: “Didn’t you just say, the day before yesterday… to withdraw and stop keeping watch… didn’t you?”
Before the words had even finished falling, Commander Mei’s broad, fan-like palm came crashing down onto his head. After delivering the blow, Commander Mei remembered — the order to withdraw the surveillance detail had indeed come from his own mouth. The reason was that ever since last year, when Zhù Ying had come to the military camp to see him and the two of them had chatted for a while, Zhù Ying had not made any outrageous moves. She had neither led men to the foot of the mountain to provoke trouble, nor had she rounded up all the “Liao people” within Southern Prefecture’s borders and thrown them in prison.
After the New Year, Zhù Ying had thrown herself heart and soul into governing Southern Prefecture — schools, public order, winter wheat, and so on and so forth. Commander Mei had his family settled inside Southern Prefecture’s city, and even at home there was a palpable sense that the Prefect had been putting thought into the prefecture city. His whole household, right down to the girl who stoked the fire and the old woman who did the washing, all said that this Prefect was someone who got real things done — how could anyone be so thoughtful? Some things even they themselves hadn’t thought of, and yet the Prefect had already seen to them.
Commander Mei naturally concluded that this Prefect was so busy, and so practical, that he was genuinely doing real work and wouldn’t be stirring up trouble. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t have the time. Just a couple of days ago, the winter wheat had been harvested, and the self-sufficient plots of Commander Mei’s own camp had yielded a plentiful crop. At that point, he had issued the order: that post keeping watch on the Prefect — stand it down. Keep it going any longer, and the soldiers would end up running off to be the Prefect’s personal attendants.
Well! Just how many days had it been since the watch was withdrawn? This wretched Prefect, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, had actually taken men off to court death!
Commander Mei raged: “That pretty-faced little bastard! I knew it! Pretty-faced men are never good news, never a good bone in their bodies! How many men did he take? What about his supply line?!” He wanted to cut off that pretty-faced man’s supply line and force him to come straight back! Being a Prefect, governing Southern Prefecture well — how fine that would be! Your strength is in governance, not in stirring up trouble!
Commander Mei mulled over some old stories from the past. Apparently, that so-and-so Prefect from four administrations ago had also looked a bit “eager to govern with vigor” when he first arrived, and then proceeded to make a right mess of things!
Commander Mei was not without ambitions for military glory. In those days, one of the functions — or achievements — of quite a few military units had been to venture into the mountains and hunt down some of the population to bring back. Supplementing the state’s population — that was a merit. It was just that the “Liao people” in this area were not particularly easy to tackle. So what was the point of pushing further? Besides, without a tacit understanding from the surrounding reinforcements, relying on himself alone, the main issue was that he couldn’t necessarily fight it well.
If Zhù Ying’s recklessness dragged Commander Mei down with her, he would be finished.
Commander Mei bellowed: “She’s not afraid of death, but I am!” Yes — if it was a civil official who rashly provoked a border incident, they might not necessarily die. But if a military commander got mixed up in it and then lost, military law might not let him survive.
Even as he cursed, Commander Mei rummaged for his armor and called up his men: “Every last one of you, stop slacking off! Come with me! That pretty-faced person absolutely cannot come to any harm!”
Before troops march, provisions must go first. To protect a reckless Prefect, the opening move would require three hundred men, would it not? Based on Commander Mei’s knowledge of the Liji tribe in recent times, three hundred — no fewer. If Zhù Ying had already penetrated deep into the mountains, three hundred would not be nearly enough. Eight hundred to a thousand would be needed to go deep into the mountains.
That being the case, logistics and supply would have to keep up! They had only just been saying that harvesting an extra season of wheat meant greater surplus, and now that surplus was going to be spent searching for that pretty-faced person! Commander Mei ground his teeth.
Seeing Commander Mei’s ferocious expression, the soldiers dared not slack off. The entire camp stirred to life. Commander Mei sat atop a tall horse, repeatedly urging: “Quick! Quick!”
He first called up three hundred men, then ordered the other five hundred men in the camp to stand ready, fully equipped. If the three hundred could handle it, all would be well; if the three hundred couldn’t manage, the camp would receive word and set out. This way, resources could be conserved.
Fortunately the wheat had already been harvested, and the rice had not yet been planted. They did not need to worry about trampling crops. In one breath they rushed to that borderland between Southern Prefecture and the “Liao people.”
From a distance, someone rode out to challenge them: “Who comes?!”
Commander Mei rode at the front: “You look familiar to me — who are you?!”
“Oh my, it’s Commander Mei! Are you also here for the encirclement hunt?! I’m Ding Gui, from beside the Prefect’s party!” Ding Gui said with a cheerful smile.
“Sur-sur-sur-sur… surround hunt?!!!”
Ding Gui said: “Yes, indeed!” He turned and called out to the others, “It’s all right, it’s Commander Mei, also come out with his men for the encirclement hunt!”
Commander Mei felt a wave of relief after the scare, and asked: “Why has the Prefect come all the way here to hunt?” Wasn’t the area around the prefecture city enough for this young rascal to roam?!
Ding Gui said: “The Prefect was in the mood for it, so he came. He’s worked hard for so many years — it’s rare to see him in such high spirits! Yesterday he even caught several rabbits.”
Another horse came galloping over — it was Xiang Le, spurring his horse to catch up. He first gave Commander Mei a bow with clasped hands: “Greetings to the Commander. Commander, the Prefect cordially invites you.”
Commander Mei gathered his reins with a rueful air and said: “Then let’s go have a look.”
…
Zhù Ying was in the middle of preparing a roasted rabbit. Rabbit meat is tough and stringy, so it needed heavy seasoning. Fortunately, she now had enough money not to scrimp on condiments. She first rubbed it with salt, then applied other spices, put it over the fire to roast, and at best would brush on a little oil, turning it as it cooked.
Zhù Da sat watching from the side. He could never manage to roast a rabbit properly. He would glance at it, take a sip of wine, and by the time the rabbit still wasn’t done, he was nearly drunk himself.
This pretty-faced man had even brought his family along for a spring outing!
Since the weather was fine and Zhù Ying had no intention of going to war with the Liji tribe, she had brought her parents along to take in the scenery. Zhù Da merely “knew how to” ride a horse, but he had great enthusiasm for the hunt. He couldn’t shoot arrows either, and after half a day had come away with nothing. Even when the hunters drove rabbits right in front of him, he could still manage to miss, and had nearly shot someone.
Zhù Da was dragged aside by Zhang Xiangu and scolded at length. Zhang Xiangu thought she was giving her husband face by not scolding him in public. But this was an encirclement hunt with a camp, and everyone was living in tents — tents whose soundproofing was sufficient to let the whole of the small camp hear Zhang Xiangu’s furious roaring.
Today, Zhù Ying continued shooting rabbits and wild pheasants, while Zhù Da went fishing. After a good while, he caught several small fish of three or four inches, along with a couple of inch-long fingerlings. Coming back, he complained: “Old Third and the others hunting and shouting made too much noise and scared all my fish away.”
Zhang Xiangu had scolded him earlier — strike a blow and then soothe it — and said: “Mm, she’s gotten too wild.”
Zhù Ying had not come here for the hunt. After half a day without spotting anyone of interest, she let the hunters continue while she herself brought several rabbits over to prepare the midday meal.
When Commander Mei arrived, she was not entirely surprised, and greeted him with a smile: “Commander has come too? Perfect — the rabbits are almost done! I have good wine here as well. You certainly can’t drink freely in camp, can you?”
Commander Mei inwardly cursed the pretty-faced man again, then stepped forward with a hearty laugh: “The Prefect has had quite a fruitful outing!”
Zhù Ying said: “Not at all, not at all — I have so many helpers here. Has the Commander also come to hunt?”
Commander Mei inwardly cursed the idle young master once more and said: “Indeed, and to patrol the border while I’m at it. We mustn’t have any incidents here.”
“Has the Commander arranged the camp for so many men? This whole area is quite good. Oh, once the camp is set up, come over and have a taste.”
Commander Mei ordered his attendants to set up camp. The three hundred men put up quite a sizeable camp. They also sized up Zhù Ying’s party, and by their estimation Zhù Ying had come out with a full fifty or sixty people — not too many, and not the kind of force capable of accomplishing anything major. Commander Mei was reassured. He came over to make idle conversation with Zhù Ying.
The rabbit was done as well. Zhù Ying lifted a small carving knife: “You couldn’t have timed it better, Commander — you’re in luck for the meat. Come, try some.”
She set to work, cutting the large pieces of meat off the two rabbits, slicing them crosswise into small pieces with the knife, cutting through the muscle grain. She arranged them on a plate with a dipping sauce for Zhù Da and Zhang Xiangu. For herself and the others, it was simple — grab the whole rabbit, twist off the head, pull off the legs, split open the carcass, eat it by hand. She didn’t drink wine, drinking tea to cut through the grease. She ate and talked: “When you do it yourself, it’s more fun.”
Commander Mei took a forceful bite: “Oh?” The flavor was actually not bad? He looked again at Zhù Ying, confirming that she had prepared it herself. As Zhù Ying chatted with him, she mentioned things like brushing fruit juice or honey onto roasted meat to improve it. Commander Mei noticed that she said not a word about “Liao people,” and so brought it up himself: “The Prefect is in fine spirits, and I would not want to spoil them. But this area is not peaceful! If you want to hunt, wouldn’t it be better in the area around the prefecture city, or over toward Asu County? You have a better rapport with those people there, don’t you?”
Zhù Ying said: “Mm, I’ll move over there in a couple of days. It would be just right — Little Sister should be coming back to continue her studies. If I run into her I’ll bring her back with me.” Beside her, Zhù Lian’s ear twitched. His mouth flooded with saliva, and the rabbit meat in his hands suddenly lost its appeal.
Commander Mei had failed to draw her out in conversation, yet he couldn’t very well accuse a Prefect of hunting within his own jurisdiction. He stayed for one night on the pretext of continuing to “patrol the border,” then broke camp and left. Since he had already come out, he went through the motions and made a perfunctory sweep along the border, then returned to his garrison. Before leaving, he did not forget to post several more scouts. His instincts told him it was better to keep a close watch on this pretty-faced person. Even if not for the purpose of monitoring any mischief, being able to track his whereabouts at all times could prevent misunderstandings like today’s.
Ever since becoming Prefect of Southern Prefecture, Zhù Ying had been keeping a close eye on Commander Mei. She knew his patterns of movement. Although Commander Mei also patrolled the border, he typically would not bring such a large formation. He would rotate small units. In the past year, the largest outing Commander Mei had personally led numbered only around a hundred. Three hundred men, combined with the expression on his face when they first met — he had looked at her like someone sizing up the ringleader of a troublemaker.
Watching Commander Mei depart, Zhù Ying shook her head and said: “Let’s rest for a couple of days, then move somewhere else.”
Zhù Da said: “Why? It’s nice here, reminds me of our old home.”
Zhang Xiangu rolled her eyes: “Then you stay here. We’re going.”
“I never said I wasn’t going, we’ve only just set up camp.”
Zhù Ying said: “We came out for a leisurely stroll.” She had been here three days and had not managed to draw anyone over to make contact. She needed to change location and keep fishing. Her party was not too large, but a group of fifty-seven was not too small either. Combined with the nearby villagers coming to watch, every day was quite lively.
But no one had come to make contact.
She wanted to linger along the “border” for a while longer. A group of sixty or seventy people was nothing to fear from small bands of mountain bandits. In these few days of hunting she had worked out some knowledge of how to lead a group hunt, and found it genuinely interesting.
Seeing her in high spirits, Zhang Xiangu gave Zhù Da a nudge with her elbow. Zhù Da rubbed his ribs and said nothing rude. Zhang Xiangu gave him a meaningful look, and the two of them stepped aside to whisper together. Zhang Xiangu said: “Just think of it as letting her enjoy herself. The child has worried and worked hard all these years — it’s rare to see her this happy.”
Zhù Da was quiet for a moment: “Sigh, all right! The weather’s good in any case.”
And so they broke camp, moved forward thirty li, and made camp again.
During this time, official documents kept arriving from the prefecture city. Before departing, Zhù Ying had left the affairs of the prefectural office in the temporary charge of Zhang Jiong, and instructed Li Sifa to continue clearing up the streets. In addition, the matter at Master Tang’s was being occasionally checked on by Xiao Wu, who had stayed behind in the prefecture city. Xiao Wu had dispatched someone to deliver a ledger sheet — Master Tang had drawn another ten strings of cash!
Xiao Wu had tucked in a small note of complaints, and he was even more practiced at writing small notes than official documents. It was nothing more than telling tales: Master Tang was spending money too fast! Zhù Ying’s public-office farmland had been used to trial-grow some autumn sugarcane as early as last year, and had its own yield. She had also purchased a large quantity of sugarcane. Master Tang spent money as though it weren’t his, capable of using over a hundred catties of sugarcane in a single day. And charcoal — refining sugar required charcoal fires. Master Tang had also bought all sorts of strange things, lime, charcoal, and so on and so forth.
He’s opened a general goods shop with your money! Xiao Wu wrote.
Buying was one thing, but buying finished goods and adding them to perfectly good sugarcane juice was another!
Has he not had you making poison? Xiao Wu wrote again.
Zhù Ying read it with amusement. All of this she knew — even while still in the prefecture city, even during the busy period of the winter wheat harvest, she had not forgotten Master Tang. She would visit him every day without fail, recording some of his experiments. After leaving, she had arranged for Xiao Wu to keep the records. All of this was useful information. Master Tang’s primary research at the moment was focused on how to produce refined sugar crystals, and large, transparent pieces of sugar.
“Decolorization.” Zhù Ying wrote these two characters in her notebook in extra-large script, making sure they stood out clearly.
Then she drafted a reply for Xiao Wu: Give it to him.
Finally, she picked up her brush to arrange one more matter — opening the mountain forests and waterways for a period of time as compensation. She also directed Xiao Wu to “be sure to carry this out.” After writing this instruction, she deliberately had Gu Tong review it.
Gu Tong said: “Teacher is as compassionate toward the common people as ever. But I see their lives are quite decent already. The winter wheat is there to plant, and the winter wheat hasn’t been taxed for these past two years either. Compared to the days in Fulu County, things are much better — you don’t need to subsidize people out of your own pocket anymore.”
When Zhù Ying was in Fulu County, she had opened certain areas under the county office’s control at regular intervals and to specific numbers of people, in order to supplement the firewood and other needs of the poorer residents. She would allow them into the mountains each winter to cut a set amount of firewood for their own use, and to hunt within a set quota as well. She opened it once or twice a year. That was because Fulu County was poor! Southern Ping County here was not so poor.
Zhù Ying said: “People still count on catching a few wild pheasants and rabbits for some meat, or to sell and supplement their household income. We came here and made a ruckus, we had our fun hunting, but what about their lives that were disrupted? What could have been traded for a little salt now leaves them with nothing but plain boiled vegetables. People have lives to live. You style yourself as someone who cares for the world and wishes to bring benefit to the people — then ingrain this firmly. If you do not know how the very poorest people get through their days, you cannot count as someone capable of being a good official. If you want only to rise in rank and position, I have other arrangements for you.”
Gu Tong stood at attention, received the directive addressed to Xiao Wu with both hands, read it through carefully, and said: “Understood.”
“Send it back.”
“Yes.”
That night, Senior Sister Hu suddenly awoke. She shared a tent with Xiang An and Huajie, close beside Zhù Ying’s tent. It was a kind of instinct — the habit cultivated over years of travelling with merchant caravans as a bodyguard escort. She couldn’t say what it was, only that something felt wrong.
She quietly lifted her blanket and got up, and as she pulled back the tent flap, Xiang An was startled awake by the sound: “Senior Sister?”
“Shh —”
Xiang An nodded, and quickly gathered her clothes and fastened her belt, then picked up her blade. The two of them had barely stepped out of the tent when the dogs started barking!
Many people in the camp woke up. Some hunters were calling their hunting hounds to heel, while others had picked up their steel pitchforks. It was only just the hour of zi — the time when Zhù Ying had just blown out the lantern and was preparing to sleep. She sat up in the tent, dressed, picked up her blade, and without lighting a lamp, quietly made her way to the outside of the large tent. The three of them — the whole family — shared one large tent. The elderly couple had also woken, and Zhù Ying said: “Don’t move. I’ll go have a look.”
The torches in the camp multiplied, and in their flickering light, several blurred figures could be seen running toward the mountain. They turned a corner and disappeared.
The people in the camp all murmured and speculated. Zhù Ying said: “It’s nothing, no need to worry. Those who have sentry duty, take your posts.”
Since setting out on this trip she had been studying and planning how to set up an encampment. She had never done this before and did not know how the military handled it, but many things became apparent as soon as you put your hand to them — matters of safety, of location, of practical living convenience, and so on.
The spot she had selected was an open ground that was relatively safe and convenient. The principal danger might come from the mountain range to the west, so she had chosen a nearby flat piece of ground close to water, with only a single path leading westward, so that only one direction needed to be guarded. One could not be too close to the river — it was spring, and the water might rise sharply — nor too far away, as fetching water would become inconvenient.
Judging by tonight’s situation, this arrangement had been fairly effective. She also ordered that the dogs be given some raw bones, then returned to the tent to sleep.
The night passed without incident. The next day, she woke refreshed and clear-headed, though most of the camp was yawning widely — they had not slept particularly well. Zhang Xiangu said: “We’ve been out for several days now. Shouldn’t we head back? I’m rather uneasy leaving Qiao’er and the others at home on their own.”
Zhù Ying said: “All right, then have A’Tong accompany you back first.”
Zhang Xiangu’s expression changed at once: “I’m talking about you!”
Zhù Ying smiled: “I’ll stay here for a couple more days.”
Zhang Xiangu said: “No, you have to come back with me.” Zhù Da also cleared his throat: “That’s right! We’re not people of no account anymore!”
Zhù Ying smiled: “I want to play a while longer.”
She swung up into the saddle. Since coming south, she rarely had the opportunity to gallop freely across open ground. Even on the official roads, you couldn’t go more than a few dozen li before encountering all manner of inclines, descents, and bends in the path. This area was relatively level, and the horse seemed a few degrees livelier as well.
Xiang Le and the others hurried to mount and follow, and Senior Sister Hu was right behind them. She was not particularly worried about Zhù Ying. A few days earlier, Senior Sister Hu had witnessed with her own eyes how Zhù Ying had gone from being an absolute novice at hunting to being “watchable” by now.
Zhù Ying had never participated in an encirclement hunt before. She rode well enough and her archery was passable, but applying these skills to hunting was a different matter and had felt awkward at first. Once camp was set up, she had fired off a couple of arrows right away and earned lazy, sleepy smiles from the experienced hunters. The hunters had initially assumed it was another noble with nothing better to do amusing herself, and didn’t much mind — the Prefect was a good official, so if she wanted to play, everyone would play along. They had been fully prepared to drive the game straight to her.
But to their surprise, after Zhù Ying had shot through half a quiver of arrows, her skill at hunting on horseback had gradually developed.
Then came discussions with the hunters, from whom she had also learned the technique of “encirclement hunting.” Sometimes she used encirclement, sometimes she tracked quarry herself, and she never came back empty-handed.
Senior Sister Hu followed along only out of worry that some unexpected situation might arise. She had no concern about Zhù Ying’s ability to catch prey.
And indeed — Zhù Ying released two arrows in rapid succession, and both found their mark on a large, fat rabbit. Xiang Le urged his horse forward to retrieve it, but Zhù Ying suddenly said: “Careful.” Then she drew her bow, aiming at a spot from which several riders now came bursting out from the mountain. Behind the riders, dragging along on foot, were several dozen more people.
Xiang Le left the rabbit where it was, pulled his horse around, and positioned himself diagonally in front of Zhù Ying as a guard. Zhù Ying narrowed her eyes, watching the approaching party get closer and closer. In the lead was a person wearing a black, cross-collar short vest. A little closer, and she could make out the narrow band of embroidery along the vest’s edge.
The newcomers came charging down. Upon seeing Zhù Ying, they started: “It’s you?!”
Zhù Ying looked at the person and paused a moment: “Oh, it’s you.”
Well now. She recognized this one. Back when she had not yet become Su Mingluan’s adoptive father, during a visit to the mountain stronghold as a “guest,” she had encountered a raiding party from the Liji family, had cut off Su Mingluan’s tribal uncle’s head, and at the time the head had been hanging at this person’s waist — only for Zhù Ying to confiscate it. What a coincidence this was!
…
The ten-odd horses made quite a commotion, and the camp stirred with it. Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Da were privately thinking they ought to have gone back long ago, but neither of them said a word at this moment, both quietly gathering with Huajie, ready at any moment to respond to their daughter’s signal.
Ding Gui and the others all began to prepare as well. The hunters had their hounds on short leads, holding steel pitchforks at the ready. Small-scale frictions along the “border” were nothing new — people didn’t usually end up dead, but group brawls were common, as were bloodied injuries. Today was different: the Prefect was here. They were prepared for a proper fight.
The two sides faced each other in silence for a while. The people who had come down from the mountain had originally intended to challenge them — to demand to know who these people were and what they were doing here, and to tell them to stop roaming around. This man had received word that there were wealthy landowners from the lowlands out hunting nearby, which was a common sight; there were always people foolishly seeking a thrill. Then word had come that there had been large movements of military forces from the lowlands, which put him on alert.
Next, another message arrived saying the military forces had left, but the camp was under tight guard. He decided to come see for himself.
On arrival, he recognized a familiar face.
Although Zhù Ying remembered this person, she had no other particular thoughts about him. But this man’s memory of Zhù Ying ran very deep. He had nearly carried out a perfect hunt that day — it had been flawlessly executed — when a pretty-faced man appeared out of nowhere and ruined everything. He had gone to all that effort for nothing, and those consecutive arrows had stayed with him ever since. Zhù Ying’s face had not changed much over the years, and he recognized her at once.
He looked a degree more mature than before, his beard grown somewhat longer. Zhù Ying searched her memory for a moment and dredged the man up.
The man said in a low, steady voice: “You again? Who are you? Why are you wandering off from Fulu again to cause trouble here?” After speaking, he called out two words to the people behind him, and a person ran forward and repeated his words in the Southern Ping dialect.
He did not know the lowland situation in too much detail. He had previously known that Zhù Ying was from Fulu County and had a good relationship with the Asu family. Later, Zhù Ying had been promoted; her title had changed, her official position had changed, and her territory had changed as well. He was not entirely clear on the specifics.
Zhù Ying said: “I am the Prefect of Southern Prefecture. I am traveling within the bounds of Southern Prefecture. What brings you charging out here?”
The two of them were no more than twenty paces apart. Zhù Ying saw the man’s expression shift slightly. He said: “You speak our language? Who are you?”
Zhù Ying smiled slightly: “I told you — the Prefect of Southern Prefecture. Who are you?”
The man said: “The owner of these mountains. The head chief of this area!”
“Your name?”
“Asking someone their name without giving your own first?”
“Zhù Ying.”
“Precious Blade,” the man said proudly. “A blade that can sever heads.” When he was born, his mother had dreamed of a precious blade, and his father had given him this name.
Zhù Ying nodded: “So that means you can govern some territory in the mountains to the west? How many strongholds do you control? Can you truly speak for them all? If you cannot, send someone who can. Within my territory, I can speak for everything — what about you?”
“Precious Blade,” whose expression had relaxed somewhat upon discovering she spoke the Liji language, now soured again: “Of course!”
Zhù Ying said: “And you still haven’t said how many strongholds you govern or how large the area is! Last month, a criminal who had committed murder fled into these mountains — he’s very dangerous, not a good person. If you have authority over this area, have the strongholds be on guard!”
“Everyone manages their own affairs!”
“Just how many strongholds can you actually govern? If you can’t account for the others, I’ll speak to them directly — I can’t let wronged parties go without recourse.”
“Precious Blade” said furiously: “The ten large and small strongholds in this area are all under my command! My territory is no smaller than that woman of the Asu family!”
Zhù Ying nodded and said: “Good. Then this is what I propose: if you capture any criminals, turn them over to me. If anyone from your strongholds commits a crime and flees into the lowlands, I will also capture them and return them to you. What do you say?”
“I can catch them myself!”
“Don’t even think about coming in armed! You know what that means.” Zhù Ying stood firm without yielding an inch.
“Precious Blade” did not turn and storm off. He said: “Your arrows are accurate and your horse is fast. Race me — if you win, I’ll agree to your proposal!”
Zhù Ying said: “What do you propose?”
“Precious Blade” considered for a moment and said: “Just the two of us, no one else. There’s a large soap-pod tree at the foot of the mountain over there — whoever reaches it first wins.”
Zhù Ying said: “Fine.” She assessed this “Blade Brother.” He was tall by local standards, all dense muscle, evidently not bothered by the cold. Her estimate put him at one hundred and fifty catties at least. She herself was different — only one hundred and twenty. Constant association with Jin Liang, Hou Wu, and the like had taught her a basic truth: in horse racing, it wasn’t only about the horse, it was also about the rider. The lighter the rider, the easier the horse’s run. In the stories she had heard, a burly, muscular general might even need a specially bred horse, or two horses, just to carry him.
Her horse was the gift of Marquis Zheng from years ago — several years had passed, but it was not yet too old. “Blade Brother’s” horse was a local mountain horse, good for endurance on mountain paths but not well suited for this kind of race. She and “Blade Brother” differed by thirty catties. One could easily imagine whose horse would tire first.
She agreed readily, but Xiang Le was deeply worried. Zhù Ying could guess what they were worried about. She said to Senior Sister Hu: “Back me up.” On the other side, “Blade Brother” also said a few quiet words to his people. The two of them turned their horses and positioned themselves facing the direction of the soap-pod tree.
Wary of each other, they set off at the same moment. “Blade Brother” was worthy of his title as head chief — his horse was a fine animal too, and its gallop was swift and vigorous. But unless you were in a place known for producing superior horses, the best local horses could seldom match those owned by capital nobles like Marquis Zheng. Zhù Ying started by keeping a slight rein and observing the surroundings. The two of them ran one behind the other for a full ten li, and at last, a great soap-pod tree came into view.
Only then did Zhù Ying give her horse full rein, closing from two horse-lengths behind to one, then half, then drawing level — all in the space of a few instants. Seeing this, “Precious Blade” swung a horizontal fist at her from horseback, and Zhù Ying leaned aside. The wind of the punch swept past her flank. She straightened up, applied the whip, and her fine horse lunged forward. Without looking back, she drove her horse ahead at full gallop!
“Precious Blade” swung his horsewhip forward, but Zhù Ying, as if she had eyes in the back of her head, dodged again! She had made up her mind not to tangle with “Precious Blade.” He outweighed her by thirty catties — thirty catties at full gallop on horseback. In a contest of brute strength, she was at a disadvantage.
Both riders’ followers scrambled to keep up but could not outpace either of them. Senior Sister Hu and the others watching from behind saw it all and cursed “Blade Brother” furiously for cheating. “Blade Brother” could half-understand them and ignored it entirely. In horse racing, these kinds of tactics were quite common. Being cursed at for them was also fairly common. He was well used to it, and focused entirely on catching up.
Zhù Ying’s horse pulled ahead by one length, then two. At last, twenty paces before the finish, she arrived first. Reaching the soap-pod tree, she reined in her horse — the fine stallion let out a long whinny — and Zhù Ying swiftly wheeled to face the direction from which “Blade Brother” was charging. Without a moment’s hesitation, she drew the bow-bag from her saddle bag, nocked an arrow, and took aim at the oncoming “Blade Brother.” The entire motion flowed without a pause.
“Blade Brother” was startled! He suddenly sank low, using his horse’s body as a shield.
Xiang Le and the others cheered. “Blade Brother’s” followers all shouted in furious alarm, and some among them reached for their bows to come to his rescue. “Blade Brother” hung his body sideways off his horse with practiced skill, steering the horse with finesse to steer it away from Zhù Ying. Under his command, the horse swept out in a wide arc. His blood ran fast, his heart pounded — excitement and tension occupied him in equal measure. But the expected arrow never came. He did not even hear the whistle of an arrow cutting through the air.
Zhù Ying tracked “Blade Brother” from start to finish with her aim. When he stopped some forty paces away and straightened back into the saddle to look at her, Zhù Ying looked back at him, released her drawn hand, held the bow in one hand, and with the other hand twirled the arrow in a flourish, deflecting several arrows that came flying from “Blade Brother’s” followers.
“Blade Brother” gave a sharp rebuke, and his followers put away their bows. Xiang Le, Senior Sister Hu, and the others had also arrived. The two sides faced off once more.
Both Zhù Ying and “Blade Brother” maintained their restraint. “Blade Brother” said: “I acknowledge you won.” His followers all shouted that Zhù Ying had cheated.
Zhù Ying, while putting her bow and arrow back into the bag, said: “I clearly won.”
“Blade Brother” thought for a moment and said: “What you proposed just now — I agree to it. We Liji people never deceive anyone, unlike you lowlanders!”
“Agreeing to race you was to show those in the mountains that whoever comes, I have no fear. It was also to show those in the mountains that so long as someone’s word can be trusted, I am willing to talk with them,” Zhù Ying said. “But whether you are truly a head chief, I also need to verify.”
“Blade Brother” said: “I am the head chief.”
Zhù Ying said: “You also don’t trust lowlanders, and I don’t know your identity. I will have someone inquire about who you are.”
“Hmph! That bird of the Asu family? You and they are one party.”
“That’s right — she is already an official of the court.”
“Blade Brother” looked at her coldly and said: “You’re in league with her, helping her against me, and now you want me to help you catch people!”
Zhù Ying said: “She wasn’t a court official at first either. I began by exchanging slaves with the Asu family, then we mutually agreed not to shelter criminals. If someone committed a crime, they would be punished according to both parties’ rules. Then trade followed. She took me as her adoptive father, and I petitioned the court to grant her an official position. You could do the same.”
“Blade Brother” still wouldn’t soften: “You lowlanders know nothing but honeyed words, luring people with the promise of official posts.”
Zhù Ying said: “What I’m saying now is not yet directed at you. I’ll have someone inquire about who you are. I got to the soap-pod tree one step ahead of you, so let’s talk about criminals first. Anything else — even if you agreed to it now, I wouldn’t trust it.”
“Blade Brother” stared at her with a heavy, measured gaze. Zhù Ying looked back calmly. After a long moment, “Blade Brother” gave a slight nod: “I’ll wait to hear what that bird has to say!”
Zhù Ying said: “I don’t need to ask her. I have others to ask.”
“Wolf,” said “Blade Brother.”
Zhù Ying said: “You know him? Then you have some credibility. But I don’t follow his word entirely either.”
“Speak to the matter at hand.”
“Will you agree?”
“Blade Brother” said: “Yes!”
Zhù Ying said: “Once I know you’re truly the head chief, we can discuss everything else.”
“I’ll wait. If you have something to say, have Wolf come tell me.”
“You are not to touch his A’Ba’s head,” Zhù Ying said.
“Blade Brother” gave a slight smile.
Zhù Ying saw that more people had been dispatched from the camp to meet her, and said: “Have you eaten? I’ll treat you to roasted rabbit.”
“Blade Brother” shook his head: “Once you believe I’m the head chief, then we’ll talk!” He let out a sharp whistle, and with his followers behind him, rode away.
Xiang Le stepped forward: “Prefect, let us return to the prefecture!” He spoke with unusual firmness for once. Senior Sister Hu also said: “We mustn’t take unnecessary risks.”
Zhù Ying said: “All right. Let’s return to the prefecture.”
Zhù Ying and Xiang Le and the others made their way back to camp. The elderly couple came out to meet them: “What was that just now?”
Zhù Ying smiled: “We ran into a few people who had come down from the mountains, rode horses with them for a bit, and my horse was faster. I invited them to eat, but they said they wouldn’t.” She added: “Let’s eat — after eating, we’ll head back. Little Sister should be on her way back soon, and we can’t leave her coming home to an empty house.”
Zhang Xiangu had been waiting for exactly these words: “Good!”
Zhù Ying then had the hunters with her party prepare all the game she had caught — skins peeled, meat rubbed with coarse salt to cure. The wild pheasants and wild ducks were all treated the same way, then loaded onto the cart.
They set off for home that same day. Zhù Ying still rode on horseback. The return journey was easier than the trip out. She kept pace alongside Zhang Xiangu’s carriage and said to her: “It wasn’t dangerous at all. Those few people from that night said they saw the firelight from our camp at midnight, and worried we were bandits who might rob them, so they came to investigate.”
Zhang Xiangu leaned on the carriage window ledge and laughed: “Ha ha ha ha, I thought they were the bandits, and they were thinking we were the bandits!”
They made their way back to the prefecture city, where Commander Mei was again waiting with a contingent of men. When he saw her arrive unscathed, he realized he had once more worried himself needlessly over this pretty-faced person! He glared at the scout who had brought the report two days ago, thinking to himself: You told me someone had been prowling the camp in the middle of the night?! Go back and I’ll give you twenty strokes of the rod!
Zhù Ying said: “Here, share some of those rabbits with the Commander.”
Rabbits bred fast and were caught in batches — they were always plentiful among the game. She divided six wild rabbits for Commander Mei and wrapped up two wild pheasants for him as well. Commander Mei thought to himself: Three hundred troops mobilized on your behalf and brought back, and I earn two meals worth of rabbit. I will never bother myself with you again, you pretty-faced person!
The two of them parted with smiles and laughter. After returning to the prefecture, Zhù Ying ordered that several of the rabbits brought back be taken to the prefectural office kitchen as a bonus for the staff. She then fetched a large crock, filled one crock with rabbit and one with wild pheasant, and had someone deliver them to Leng Yun, saying they were the fruits of her own hunt. The remainder were hung up, firewood was brought, and they were made into smoked rabbit.
While the kitchen was busy, Zhù Ying summoned “Wolf Brother” to inquire about the situation of the Liji tribe. Based on his description, the person she had met was indeed the head chief of a major branch of the Liji tribe. The previous head chief — or rather, the cave-master — had died just two years ago. By the reckoning of the timeline, when he had gone to hunt for heads at the Asu family’s stronghold, his father had still been alive. Only after his father’s death did he rise to the position of head chief.
Zhù Ying then sent someone to summon Chou Wen and asked him about the head chief of the Liji tribe. Chou Wen said: “It’s him! That man loves to chop off heads for sacrifices!”
Zhù Ying further consulted others, and the accounts were all consistent. She also had a portrait drawn for identification. She was by now fairly certain that the person she had met was indeed the newly installed head chief.
Zhù Ying nodded. Naturally — now that Su Mingluan had accepted an imperial appointment, the neighboring tribes would inevitably respond. One opening had already been made; progress from here on would come more quickly.
Once confirmed, she had “Wolf Brother” send word and arranged a time to meet with “Blade Brother” for further discussion.
“Wolf Brother” accepted the task and set out from the prefecture city. Almost on his heels, Su Zhe came back.
…
Su Zhe had stayed at home until the ninth day of the second month before setting out. She spent another two days in Fulu County, and by the time she arrived at the prefecture city, it was already the thirteenth of the second month.
Coming back from the prefectural office to home made her happy. Coming from the mountain to the prefectural office also made her happy.
Su Mingluan had prepared gifts for her to bring back. She first said to Zhang Xiangu: “Great-grandmother! This is for you!” She then distributed gifts to Zhù Da, Huajie, and the others, and finally wrinkled her nose at the pair of small boys.
Zhù Lian was in good spirits and didn’t bicker with her. His logic was simple: I share the Prefect’s surname — we are the real family. I won’t stoop to argue with you!
When Zhù Ying came back from the outer office, seeing her happiness, she said: “We’ll start lessons again tomorrow.”
Having class with Zhù Ying was always interesting. Su Zhe smiled: “All right!”
The next day, Zhù Ying first went to the outer office to arrange matters and approve official documents, then took a break to come to the inner quarters: “Everyone to the study for class!”
Su Zhe happily headed for the front courtyard, her two attendant-companions carrying her school bag and notebooks. Without warning, she looked up and saw two unwelcome figures come walking out of the courtyard across the way — also with small school bags on their backs. Su Zhe stared wide-eyed: “What are you two doing?”
Zhù Lian said expressionlessly: “Going to class.”
Su Zhe: …
She’d come back and suddenly there were two new classmates? And of all people, those two Liji nuisances?!