Hua Jie stepped out of Zhù Ying’s courtyard to find Zhù Lian and Zhù Shi running out from Zhang Xiangu’s courtyard, both boys in high spirits. Zhù Shi was even whooping: “Time to play!”
The moment he saw her, Zhù Lian hurried to a stop. Zhù Shi was a beat behind and said sheepishly, “Our — our homework is done.”
Poor children. While Zhù Ying was away for more than twenty days, she had assigned them coursework before she left — texts to memorise and characters to copy out. She had also designated Hou Wu to supervise their martial practice, and Qi Xiaoniang to oversee their arithmetic. Qi Xiaoniang didn’t have her father’s talent for accounts, but she could manage basic arithmetic well enough.
While Zhù Ying was away, Hou and Qi were even more diligent in supervising them than when she was present. The others managed, but Zhù Shi suffered especially. Even when he couldn’t keep up, he was dragged along by Zhù Lian to do the work anyway. Now that Zhù Ying was finally back — having checked their homework and answered their questions before taking over the next part of the course — Zhù Shi could relax a little.
Zhù Lian quickly said, “I’ll do my homework with him.”
Hua Jie smiled to herself. She was somewhat more fond of Zhù Lian. That child was a little like Zhù Ying as a young person — like a weed in a crack in the rock, straining with all its might to absorb the tiniest shafts of sunlight and drops of rain, growing wildly and exuberantly with fierce, reckless vitality.
“Don’t go too far — come back to eat in a little while,” Hua Jie said.
“All right!” Zhù Lian and Zhù Shi clasped hands and ran off again.
Hua Jie returned to her own courtyard. She fetched a basin of water and began carefully wiping down the offering table. Du Dajie came in carrying a pile of clothing, saw what she was doing, and quickly said, “Madam, allow me.”
Hua Jie waved her off and continued tending the offering table herself, wiping it clean and replacing the water, flowers, and fruit. She lit incense and slowly knelt before the memorial tablets. Du Dajie bowed to the tablets, then tiptoed with the clothes into the inner room to fold and put them away.
Hua Jie never spoke aloud when paying respects at the tablets. She only prayed silently in her heart: Mother, you must help Little Zhù. Opening up wilderness is never easy. And yet she must do it. Three to five years may not be enough for success — and if she can’t succeed in three to five years, whether she’ll even be allowed to stay here is uncertain. Once she’s transferred away mid-course, what then?
If you were to meet Little Zhù now, would our family still be together and well?
……
Zhù Ying never prayed to gods or spirits.
Hua Jie found the prospect of clearing wilderness daunting, and that was perfectly natural. Even clearing flat, fertile land is no easy thing. Yet Zhù Ying showed no sign of panic. She would never treat her father, mother, or Hua Jie as people who lacked understanding — she often shared news of the outside world with them so they would not be left entirely in the dark. With Hua Jie especially, she shared far more. But she would not report every detail of her plans to them. Her plans naturally had specific methods of execution.
She left the rear quarters and had Xiao Huang go find Chou Wen.
Chou Wen was now both busy and anxious, both excited and nervous. Since coming down from the mountain, he had desperately wanted to be someone who had always lived below the mountains, with no ties to that stockade. Yet in his very person, he found it hard to be accepted without reservation by those who lived below. He had no family below the mountains, only a few friends in trade — and they all wandered widely themselves. “A body like duckweed” — the first time he heard that phrase, his heart had been dealt a hard shove, and since then the words had taken root there.
He never quite belonged in this “good” world below the mountains.
He wanted to put down roots. He loathed the barbaric customs of the mountains above. He yearned for civilised refinement — writing, etiquette. The officials, though not entirely upright, were still so much better than the mountains above, where not even the rules were fixed!
Now it seemed as though a thread of hope had appeared. The way the Prefect looked at him held none of that particular expression — her eyes rested on him the same as on everyone else. She also gave him work to do and showed no signs of wariness or distance. But heaven knows, he himself was not eager to deal with the “mountain people.” And yet he also understood that his value lay precisely in that dealing with the “mountain people.”
His heart felt like a handkerchief twisted and wrung in the hands of a young girl — a complete tangle.
Hearing Xiao Huang call for him, he quickly set down his brush, stood, and brushed off his clothes: “Coming.”
Xiao Huang asked curiously, “Are you doing homework too?”
Chou Wen gave a bitter smile. “Yes. I’ve fallen quite far behind — I can’t let myself do worse than those little children.”
The prefecture kept a few young “mountain folk” children, and he had been fortunate enough to attend a few lessons along with them. He had guessed at the time that this was perhaps the Prefect’s way of “civilising” them, and felt a rush of emotion. Before he had attended many sessions, he had gone back into the mountains again. Coming back out, he had taken on the task of drafting documents for Xi Jin’s and the Mountain Sparrow family’s use. He could only carve out time to review his lessons, terrified that if Zhù Ying were to test him on a whim and found his work poor, she would have no further use for him.
Xiao Huang said with a laugh, “Why would that happen? They’re still so young — come with me quickly.”
Chou Wen walked alongside him toward the yamen. Along the way, he asked, “Young Master Huang, what does my lord want me for?”
“Goodness, please don’t call me Young Master — ” Xiao Huang grinned. “I don’t know what my lord is thinking either. But whatever it is, it won’t be anything bad.”
Chou Wen spent the whole walk guessing — was it to make changes to the documents he had written for Xi Jin and the others, or to ask further about conditions among the mountain tribes? He thought any of the possibilities were plausible, and yet none quite felt right.
He was brought to the rear study, where Zhù Ying sat behind the writing desk and said, “Sit.”
Chou Wen saw that Zhù Ying’s expression was unremarkable — she appeared neither pleased nor displeased — and her thoughts were entirely unreadable. He gave a bow and sat down. Before he could speak, Xiao Liu had already served tea. He did not reach out to take it, but sat quietly, waiting for Zhù Ying’s instructions.
Zhù Ying said, “The memorials you wrote for Xi Jin and the Mountain Sparrow family are quite decent; the details still need refining. Their situations differ from Lang Kunwu’s, so they can’t simply copy his.”
Chou Wen felt a little uneasy. “Yes.”
Zhù Ying briefly explained how the revisions should be made. Chou Wen quickly drew paper and brush from his document pouch and made notes. When he finished writing, Zhù Ying said, “There’s still time — the several memorials must echo one another. When you’ve finished the drafts, we’ll revise them together. I’ve already told them both that everything will take until next year to be sorted out. Finalise the draft first, then let them head back.”
So he still had a bit longer to be useful? Chou Wen nodded quickly.
Zhù Ying said, “You’ll also need to find time to handle another task.”
Chou Wen quickly asked, “What orders does my lord have?”
Zhù Ying said, “I want you to carefully probe the circumstances of each stockade — what are the most urgently needed goods in each, and how much is needed? What are the specific names and quantities of the products each stockade can produce…”
Chou Wen wrote quickly again. Zhù Ying paused every few sentences to give him time to record. When she saw his brush tip stop, she repeated the point. When Chou Wen had finished, she said, “That’s all for now. Report these figures to me at the beginning of next month.”
Chou Wen said, “Yes.”
Zhù Ying instructed someone to bring him payment. Chou Wen declined: “I’ve already received my lord’s reward.”
Zhù Ying said, “This is for your personal expenses. I want careful figures. Do well, and there’ll be more; do poorly, and I won’t overlook it.”
“Yes! I will certainly do it well.”
Zhù Ying then had two bolts of cloth brought out for him, saying with a smile, “These are for making shoes.”
Chou Wen said, “I don’t need this.”
Zhù Ying still tried to make him accept them. He firmly refused. Zhù Ying said, “Very well then. Go and attend to your work.”
Chou Wen left with the money. Xiao Huang wrinkled his nose and murmured, “That man is a bit strange.”
Zhù Ying said, “What’s so strange about it? Xiang Le — you go and ask around among the merchants too. Find out what’s scarce in the mountains, and which goods are available in large quantities.”
Xiang Le thought to himself: When we were setting up the trading post earlier, my lord must already have had a good picture of all this — so why…
He agreed nonetheless.
Zhù Ying had them gather information while she herself set about handling this year’s grain tax collection. She was still the Prefect — she couldn’t neglect her duties. This year she planned to travel to the prefectural city a little later than usual, to wait for the grain tributes from the mountains to arrive. Asu County and Talang County were exempt from labour service; they would submit a token amount of grain and cloth. Neither county had the means to transport their own tribute all the way to the capital, so they would hitch onto the Southern Prefecture’s shipment and travel together to the prefectural city, from where the state would arrange unified transport to the designated locations.
In the ninth month, the autumn grain had been collected in all four counties; all preparations below the mountains were complete.
Zhù Ying issued a decree throughout the entire prefecture: the students of the prefectural school would be examined, with spots to be directly placed at the National Academy determined. Students not enrolled in the prefectural school could participate in the selection examination for tribute scholars; any who qualified would travel to the capital together with the grain tribute alongside those already selected for the National Academy.
The people of the four counties were still immersed in the joy of the harvest when the students of the four counties erupted in excitement.
The prefectural school examination came first, set for the fifteenth day of the ninth month. Names were sealed. The examination covered the Six Arts, with classical and historical subjects divided by the candidates’ own chosen specialisations. Zhù Ying and Zhang Jiong, together with Wang Sigong, joined the school’s doctors and teaching assistants in grading the papers, scoring them, then arriving at combined scores. The top two scorers were selected for direct placement.
This was the first round of selection.
The second round was a selection for the so-called “enrolled students.” Those studying at the prefectural school and county schools would have one more opportunity — suitable candidates would be sent to the capital along with the directly placed students and the tribute scholars.
The third round was the tribute scholar qualification examination for those not enrolled in the prefectural or county schools. This examination also served as a selection for new places in the prefectural school, since the first round would have taken two students to the National Academy, opening up two vacancies.
The last two rounds were established procedures — those sent to the capital could potentially be selected as officials through examination. The first round was the direct placement that Zhù Ying had secured for the students — an additional opportunity given specifically to prefectural school students.
The first round was the one all prefectural school students cared about most, because for a long time the Southern Prefecture had produced few people who could advance through the latter two rounds. Whether their ambition was to serve as officials or simply to pursue scholarship, competing for the two spots in the first round was of the utmost importance.
Zhù Ying personally announced the opening of the examination.
The cultural temperament of the Southern Prefecture’s people was visibly more refined than that of Fulu County — most of their archery was presentable at least. Their other subjects were relatively weaker. The school’s doctors, teaching assistants, and Wang Sisu scored slightly higher overall; Zhù Ying and Zhang Jiong scored the students’ other subjects somewhat lower. Qi Tai had been recruited by Zhù Ying to prepare a table for tallying the scores. He arranged his table and said, “Here we are.”
The final result was that a student surnamed Fan and a student surnamed Zhang came in first and second.
Zhù Ying asked, “What about Zou Jinxian?”
Qi Tai looked at the table: “He came third.”
Student Fan had scored higher than Zou Jinxian in archery, driving, and music, pulling up his total. Student Zhang was above average in everything, with no weak points.
Zhù Ying then asked, “What about Zhen Qi?”
This student had been in the prefectural school for several years. If he failed to pass now, he would age out — once a student reached a certain age or had spent a certain number of years in the prefectural school, he had to leave.
Qi Tai searched down the list for a while: “Thirtieth place.”
Zhù Ying shook her head, then simply took the table and looked it over herself. Zhao Zhen had placed twentieth; the other two students Fulu County had recommended to the prefectural school also placed in the middle. She looked at the other three counties’ recommendation students — apart from one from Hedong County who placed near the bottom, the rest were not too bad.
Zhù Ying said, “That’s settled — Fan and Zhang, go home and pack your things. You’ll travel to the capital with the grain shipment. Everyone else — prepare for the next round of selection!”
Zou Jinxian had placed third, which he found deeply disheartening. Since the names were sealed, his ranking was not low, but he felt deeply aggrieved with nowhere to direct it. He was despondent for several days.
For the second round, Zhù Ying did not use the rankings from the first as a basis; instead, she reorganised the remaining students for another examination, in case anyone had been too nervous to perform well the first time.
The doctors and teaching assistants all understood in their hearts: if “getting an official post” were the standard of selection, the scholarship of these students would, at best, barely scrape into the National Academy. What was the standard of writing at the National Academy? What was theirs? Drawing a tiger but capturing only a cat — they lacked a certain essence. Exceptional talent aside, there was still much to be refined.
Zhù Ying pressed on regardless, organising another examination.
After these two rounds, the scholars from the various counties had arrived as well. Chou Wen also delivered a written report.
Zhù Ying read Chou Wen’s report first. It listed in considerable detail the goods needed by each tribe — broadly similar across all, with salt, iron, and daily necessities forming the largest categories. Their exports, beyond the common mountain products shared by all, also had individual differences. Asu County produced a lot of coarse tea; the Suoning family had more wild game; the Hua Pa tribe produced distinctive embroidery and woven cloth with a flavour all their own. Additionally, Lu Guo’s family had cinnabar and Xi Jin’s family had copper — both were known quantities. He had also listed the Western Card tribe, which Zhù Ying had not yet visited — their people could extract a type of coal, and he noted there was alluvial gold nearby. The Jima tribe supposedly had iron, but their smelting technique was poor.
Near where the Yigan family’s territory bordered the Suoning family’s land, there was also silver production.
“The mountains hold such riches!” Zhù Ying marvelled.
So wealthy!
Chou Wen curled his lip: “Having it is no use. It can’t get out of the mountains, can’t be processed well inside them, and no one knows how to work it properly.”
Zhù Ying thought back on the road conditions she had experienced during her recent trip into the mountains and said, “Indeed — the treasures are all locked in by the roads.”
Chou Wen had written with considerable care, including the trading taboos of each tribe and reasonably average exchange rates — the same goods had different values in different tribes, and even among different merchants the price fluctuations were quite large.
Zhù Ying also had on hand a set of records from the market overseer since the trading post had been established at Fulu, as well as the inventory Xiang Le had been sent to investigate. Comparing the two, it was clear that Chou Wen’s capabilities were impressive.
She smiled and said, “Very good. Next, have the two of you handle one more thing —”
The thing Zhù Ying wanted Chou Wen to do was to select reliable, well-acquainted merchants and have them prepare goods. She also had Xiang Le go to find Xiang Da-lang; using Xiang Da-lang’s circle of contacts, more reliable merchants would be identified and goods prepared.
Chou Wen accepted the assignment. Xiang Le agreed, then hesitated and said in a low voice, “My lord, the Asu and Talang trading posts no longer need to be handled this way. Is my lord preparing this for those three families? That… it will still take some time before things are up and running. Merchants have their numbers when it comes to preparing goods — they don’t dare hold too much stock, for fear of not having enough cash flow to turn things over.”
Zhù Ying smiled: “I know. It won’t wait until next year. I’ll bring them into the mountains when I deliver the grain back.”
Xiang Le was mildly startled. “I’m afraid it will be difficult to keep it secret.” He had been with Zhù Ying long enough to know that the memorials had not yet been finalised and sent. These memorials were not urgent official correspondence, so they would travel slowly; and even if sent, a round trip — not counting the time the court spent debating — would put things close to year’s end. Then there was finding a site and opening the market — the dates pushed all the way to the spring of next year. If a large quantity of goods were stockpiled, ordinary merchants couldn’t sustain holding them at home for that long without going out to earn money elsewhere. If Zhù Ying intended to conduct trade privately before receiving the court’s reply, it was somewhat against the rules — it would need to be done secretly, and with so many different goods and so many people involved, keeping secrets would be extremely difficult.
Zhù Ying said, “What secret?”
“Isn’t my lord planning to open a new trading post?” Xiang Le asked.
Zhù Ying smiled. “Who said anything about opening a trading post? I want you to ask them whether there’s anyone willing to travel into the mountains with me on my way to my retreat estate for a brief stay.”
“Brilliant!” Gu Tong had been quietly observing from the side and now let out a cry of admiration.
Official processions — taking up one’s post, returning to the capital, going back to one’s home province — were commonly joined by merchants who tagged along with the convoy, partly to avoid taxation and partly for the safety it afforded. This was an open secret.
Xiang Le’s eyes lit up — he hadn’t imagined this could be done that way! He said, “I’ll go handle it right away!”
Zhù Ying said, “Have Xiang An prepare more sugar.”
“Yes!”
Gu Tong chuckled to himself beside them. Zhù Ying said, “What are you laughing at? This is not the proper way of doing things in the official world. It’s a last resort, to stop people’s mouths. Since you’ve seen it, don’t treat this method as something ordinary.”
“Yes, yes — it would still be best to have the court’s approval. Teacher, why not wait for the court’s approval?”
Because I’m in a hurry, that’s why!
The concern Hua Jie had about the time needed to open up wilderness was something Zhù Ying had naturally considered as well. Her solution was to start preparing a merchant caravan into the mountains right now. Clearing land was a slow process, and it required pouring in money. To sustain what was not yet a formed estate from the very beginning, she needed a justification — such as a warehouse. Trading goods. The various stockades would likely not object to that. Using it as a reason to claim a piece of land: “retreat estate” was what she would say to people outside the mountains; “warehouse” was what she would say to people inside. A warehouse and marketplace would more easily gather people and spread the word, letting scattered households know there was such a place here — a place where a Prefect was recruiting people.
With people in place, land-clearing could begin. And having a warehouse — wasn’t it only natural to hire some able-bodied men as guards?
So she refused to let the Southern Prefecture’s market overseers organise the traders; instead, she went through Chou Wen and Xiang Da-lang, two merchants. If anyone asked, it was merchants pursuing profit and heading into the mountains of their own accord. Ask further, and it was that they were simply going along with her on her way to her retreat estate.
Zhù Ying said seriously, “Farming is not easy, and neither is trading. People say merchants burrow into money and cheat on weights and measures — yes, there are people like that. But supporting a household is hard for everyone. Taking them along costs nothing — there’s more company that way.”
Gu Tong took it at face value. “Exactly! When we were camped at the Yigan family’s home, I was worried about having too few people!”
“You think they can serve as soldiers? Don’t dream.”
“Mountain road travellers all put their lives on the line,” Gu Tong said — he was a local and knew a little about it.
Zhù Ying said, “All right. Prepare for the third round of selection. Once the finalists are decided, they can make their preparations, and we can head to the prefectural city to submit the grain. I estimate Little Sister’s grain will be arriving soon too.”
……———
The third round of selection began. In the end, neither of the last two rounds produced anyone suitable.
The head doctor said, “I am embarrassed.”
In truth, it was not so embarrassing, nor very surprising. He had told Zhù Ying before: the educational standard in the Southern Prefecture was not high. Although things had improved since she came, the time had been far too short. It had taken Fulu County several years before students could pass the examinations to enter the prefectural school. For the scholars of the Southern Prefecture to really produce results, it would take at least another three to five years. Books couldn’t simply be poured into one’s head — every person had to read every character one by one.
Zhù Ying showed no impatience. She set aside the top two papers from the tribute scholar examination, checked the candidates’ ages — neither had exceeded the age limit — and admitted them both to the prefectural school. She said to the doctor, “These two papers show some promise. With a bit more teaching, next year’s candidates will be ready.”
The newly admitted prefectural school students came to register and did not need to wait until the following spring to begin — they could start immediately. She wrote out slips authorising them to collect this winter’s allowance.
Students Fan and Zhang also did not need to leave the prefectural school yet. She gave them several days’ leave to go home and say their farewells and pack their belongings. She prepared travel money for each of them and reminded them: living expenses in the capital were very high — they ought to be mentally prepared.
She did not plan to offer her capital residence as lodgings for them — she didn’t know them well enough.
Fan and Zhang both went home to firecrackers first, then hosted banquets, saying, “We must properly thank the Prefect!” They busied themselves preparing gifts and went to call on Zhù Ying.
Both families invited Old Patron Jing as a companion guest and sent calling cards and gifts to the yamen.
Old Patron Jing was glad to have a hand in such a happy occasion and said with a smile, “I’ll certainly go! You two — you have boundless futures ahead of you!”
The two fathers said modestly to Old Patron Jing, “We still don’t know what they’ll amount to — they can’t compare to Young Master Jing, who is already an official. They’re still students; it only counts when they’ve finished their studies.”
As they were there preparing their things and composing flattering speeches in their heads, once they felt ready, they went together to the yamen to request an audience.
The group arrived at the yamen to find it bustling outside — the county magistrates of all four counties had arrived, and Asu County and Talang County had also sent representatives. Zhù Ying was about to set out for the prefectural city to deliver the grain.
The five of them stood outside the gate, unsure whether to enter or leave. The yamen’s gatekeeper recognised Old Patron Jing and was also familiar with Fan and Zhang, and stepped forward to ask, “What can I do for you, gentlemen?”
Learning they wished to see Zhù Ying, he went in to announce them.
Zhù Ying was having a good harvest this year. She said, “Invite them in.” It would be just the right moment for the county magistrates to see.
Magistrate Guo felt very pleased — both Fan and Zhang were from Nanping County. Deputy County Magistrate Mo thought to himself: It’s only because the prefectural school is located in your county — you’ve got an unfair advantage! As for Fulu, we have the foundation my lord has laid. Next year we will definitely catch up!
Fan and Zhang flushed slightly on their faces. Their fathers looked like men who had drunk too much old wine, basking in reflected glory. They bowed to the county magistrates and sat down to drink tea.
Zhù Ying asked whether they were all prepared. They all said, “We’re already packing.”
Zhù Ying said, “It’s still too early for you to go to the prefectural city now. Wait until they’re done with things — departure will be in the tenth month, which means they won’t be spending this year’s New Year at home. Take these few days to have a good farewell with your families. This departure means three to five years away. When I’m done here in the tenth month, I’ll have Wu Sicang send them to the prefectural city.”
The Fan and Zhang families all expressed their thanks.
Old Patron Jing said the conventional thing: “That the Southern Prefecture could reach today’s state is entirely due to the Prefect’s virtue.”
Zhù Ying said, “Old Patron, you flatter me.” She exchanged a few more pleasantries with him, inquiring whether Jing Gang had sent any letters home and such things. After a brief exchange, Magistrate Guo gave Old Patron Jing a look. Old Patron Jing reluctantly bid farewell.
Zhù Ying said, “Shall we prepare to go?”
“Yes.”
……
Zhù Ying still brought Xiang Da-lang on this trip, and the county magistrates all took note of it. They had each laid their plans for their own official sugar mills, selected the large household they each considered reliable to run a private mill, and were just waiting to return from delivering the grain so they could start operations! There was a stretch of time between the end of the autumn harvest and the sowing of winter wheat — surely that interval was set aside for them to build sugar mills!
Rumour had it that Xiang Da-lang’s sugar mill was bringing in gold by the bucket. Xiang Da-lang had grown a little thinner. He had just managed to gather together a group of merchants heading into the mountains. Even with Zhù Ying’s name lending authority, Zhù Ying hadn’t given him any explicit official assignment, and it had taken enormous effort to persuade people. He had barely reached an agreement when he had to haul a large quantity of sugar along with Zhù Ying to the prefectural city.
On the road, the county magistrates were no longer staring wide-eyed at him — instead they were all busy drawing close to Zhù Ying.
Magistrate Wang was the most anxious. He urged his horse forward on the road and said to Zhù Ying, “My lord, Hedong County has recently taken in a number of newly arrived migrants and opened up a certain acreage of farmland…”
County Magistrate Guan rolled his eyes skyward: I don’t believe a word of it!
He whispered to Deputy County Magistrate Mo, “It must be that he was previously too lax in supervision, let people hide household registrations, and now he’s using it to claim credit! In my Sicheng County, no such lawless commoners play such tricks!”
Deputy County Magistrate Mo also wanted to roll his eyes at County Magistrate Guan: I hear your nonsense — Sicheng County? Isn’t it only because my lord dealt with Huang Shier-lang? Is that your achievement?
Deputy County Magistrate Mo was in a very disgruntled state, feeling like a poor child who had just eaten a bellyful of coarse grain and dry beans and was now watching someone else eat white rice.
He hesitated and wavered, then that evening asked Zhù Ying for a favour: “My lord, you know the situation in Fulu better than anyone! We don’t have much land for sugarcane — there’s no room in the sugar business for us. It’s too miserable. You can’t just ignore us, can you?” As he spoke, he even gave Gu Tong a meaningful look.
Zhù Ying said with some amusement, “Why don’t you chop down the orange trees, stop dealing in oranges, and switch to sugar production instead?”
“That won’t do!” The Fulu orange was no coarse dry bean — it was not something to be discarded.
Zhù Ying looked at him. “Mm?”
Deputy County Magistrate Mo said, “This official only wants to… again…”
“Don’t you dare damage farmland.”
“Yes, yes, of course — wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare. So that, that… the sugar mill…”
Gu Tong said, “Look at you — no one said you couldn’t build one! Once you build a mill, you could still buy sugarcane from others, couldn’t you? You could still open up land, couldn’t you? Shake out a few more of their hidden fields! Oh — but don’t say it was me who said so!” Gu Tong unhesitatingly sold out his own in-laws’ family.
Deputy County Magistrate Mo said, “Wonderful!”
They travelled the whole way to the prefectural city, with Zhù Ying again leading the way to deliver the grain. The granary supervisor gave her a deep bow when he saw her, then asked, “Prefect Zhù, you came a little later than usual this year.”
Zhù Ying said, “Mm — I helped bring along some grain from others.”
Qi Tai darted out from behind her to reconcile accounts with the granary supervisor. The supervisor said, “Oh? Where is Wu Sicang?”
Zhù Ying said, “He has other business.”
The supervisor chatted as he completed the handover with her.
With her biggest task done, Zhù Ying brought her people to the post inn to rest.
The next day, Zhù Ying again called on Chief Administrator Leng Yun at the office of the administrator with gifts.
The moment she arrived at the administrator’s office, she sensed something was off. The yamen attendants standing at the gate were yawning with no one to stop them. When they saw her they quickly straightened up and came forward to greet her.
Zhù Ying asked, “Is the Administrator in?” He should be.
The attendants smiled and said, “He is. These past two days he’s been saying that Prefect Zhù must be arriving soon.”
Zhù Ying said, “Indeed.” Following her usual custom, she handed out small gifts of money to the workers at the administrator’s office, then headed inside. Through the first gate, a certain Mr. Qian — one of Administrator Leng’s advisors — came to greet her: “My lord, forgive me for not coming to meet you sooner.”
“You’re busy with important matters — don’t worry about me. My own tasks are already done.”
“Not at all, not at all.”
Going further in, Zhù Ying felt increasingly strange. The courtyard where Administrator Leng kept several favourite flowering trees was bare — the trees were gone, leaving several large holes in the ground. In the reception hall, Leng Yun was no longer seated; dressed in casual clothes, he was pacing about the room.
Seeing Zhù Ying, he beckoned her over: “Come, come — let’s have a chat.”
Zhù Ying asked, “Is my lord moving?”
Leng Yun grimaced and then laughed. “Didn’t I tell you last time? I’m going home.” If he went to the capital now and completed his review, New Year’s would be over. Once the New Year was done, he would have served a full three years as Administrator! If he didn’t run now, would he have to do another three?
He said, “Your idea was really quite good! I’ve only been here a few days — and I already have so many extra things! I really did need to pack up early! I’ve already loaded one batch and sent it down by boat. This year I’ll personally escort the tribute grain to the capital — and once I leave, I’m not coming back. Come take a look — whatever you like from what I have left, I’ll give it all to you. Don’t let it fall into the hands of some unknown person, and certainly don’t let those people benefit from it.”
By “those people” he must have meant the Deputy Administrator, the Executive Administrator, and similar officials.
Zhù Ying was slightly taken aback. Administrator Leng was truly swift and decisive — no wonder the yamen attendants were slacking off. Anyone with any sense in the prefectural city had probably already guessed something. No wonder indeed…
Zhù Ying smiled and said, “I don’t want anything.”
“There you go again!” Leng Yun said. “You’re just too neglectful of yourself. You’re not young anymore, yet you haven’t taken a wife, haven’t even taken a concubine to take care of your daily needs…”
He rambled on, in a tone vaguely reminiscent of their days at the Court of Judicial Review. Zhù Ying listened with a smile until he finished, then said, “My lord, now that you’re going back to the capital, what will you do? Is everything arranged? You can’t just sit idle at home. If you’re under the same roof day in and day out with the Count, he’ll start nagging again.”
Leng Yun sucked in a breath and said stubbornly, “I have my ways.” Go stay with his maternal grandmother. As for idling — resting for a couple of months was perfectly fine.
Zhù Ying also asked, “What about this year’s winter wheat? You’re not seeing to it? It’s not all sown yet in the state.”
Leng Yun waved a dismissive hand. “I can still see them sowing before I leave; the harvest is for them to enjoy.” He had already received commendation — good work acknowledged. Surely they wouldn’t make him stay here farming indefinitely?
Leng Yun talked more and more. Zhù Ying listened calmly throughout and said not a word about her arrangements with the various tribes — didn’t even mention that Asu County and Talang County had handed over their tax revenues this year. If Leng Yun remembered to mention it, fine; if not, she already had the written receipt from the granary supervisor anyway.
Leng Yun had a genuine fondness for her: “If the new Administrator gives you trouble, write to me.”
“All right.” Zhù Ying agreed first; whether she actually wrote would depend on her mood.
“You don’t know when you’ll be able to go back, do you! You’ve just been promoted to Prefect — the next promotion is even harder to get.” He commented.
Zhù Ying remained quiet and listened as Leng Yun said a great deal more, also complaining that once back in the capital, many kinds of southern fruit would no longer be available fresh. Zhù Ying said, “I could still send some oranges to my lord — but you probably don’t find them worth anything.”
Zhù Ying kept Leng Yun company in conversation, her mind holding just one question: Count Leng actually allowed you to go about things this way?
But that was someone else’s affair. She had her own hands full and no energy to spare for worrying about Leng Yun. In the future, as long as it was convenient, she would prepare a token gift for Leng Yun now and then — that would be about enough.
Yet Leng Yun was quite enthusiastic. When Zhù Ying said she wanted nothing, he picked out many things for her himself: “These are good things! If only they weren’t so large and difficult to load onto the boat, I’d have taken them all with me! And these — and these! Your household is too sparse. Even if you don’t care for such things yourself, treat your parents better.”
He picked and chose, and apart from things he had acquired in the prefectural city, he also left behind things he had brought from the capital. Books, paper, and writing materials — he had never been much of a reader and didn’t quite know why he had brought them. Now he didn’t want to carry them back either; he simply left them all for Zhù Ying.
All of it was good quality. He pressed the whole lot on her at once.
Others who entered the Administrator’s office brought gifts; Zhù Ying entered the Administrator’s office with gifts too, but she came away with gifts in return. The shrewd ones among the Administrator’s staff had no small number who had already sensed Leng Yun was leaving; seeing him give things to Zhù Ying further confirmed the guess in their hearts. They also said to Zhù Ying with a smile: “Prefect Zhù, congratulations on your windfall.”
Zhù Ying said, “Join the fortunes?”
“We can’t compare to you.” They laughed.
From when Zhù Ying arrived at Fulu County to the present day, some of the Administrator’s office staff had changed. The old hands knew about her past dealings with Administrator Lu and didn’t provoke her. The newcomers had heard some stories but had never witnessed them firsthand, and in their hearts harboured the thought: your patron is leaving — deep down you must be putting on a brave face.
Zhù Ying could see from their expressions that something was off, but paid it no mind.
She first had all the things brought back to the post inn for Xiang Le to stow, then brought Xiang Da-lang and the others to the largest Buddhist temple in the prefectural city.
Xiang Da-lang had thought he was there to sell sugar — he certainly hadn’t planned on making a donation! Though paying money on behalf of one’s superior was something merchants often did, this was all so sudden! He hadn’t brought enough money!
Zhù Ying said, “Bring the sugar towers.”
“Ah?” So it wasn’t incense money?
It was incense money too, as it happened — Zhù Ying paid it herself, a full one hundred strings of cash. Even for a major temple in the prefectural city, that was a generous donation.
The abbot accompanied Zhù Ying in her worship, his eyes narrowing to a pair of lines: “Bless you, bless you!”
Zhù Ying said, “I’d also like to give out congee.”
The abbot said, “If my lord wishes to distribute congee, perhaps it would be best to donate the rice first and have our temple set up a congee station when the weather turns cold.”
Zhù Ying said, “The impulse has come now — I want to do it now.”
The abbot said, “That works — our temple’s kitchen and stoves are all ready.”
Zhù Ying agreed with him on the arrangement: she would come back the following day to distribute congee. The abbot ordered the temple bell to be rung, announcing that from the next day congee would be available, for three consecutive days.
As everyone knows, charity is meant to leave a name — one generally waits until the donor has finished paying respects to the Buddha before announcing the start of the event. Those receiving charity would start queueing early in the morning with their bowls, and were expected to say a word of thanks to the great benefactor.
The abbot assumed Zhù Ying was about to leave. Instead, she said, “I have something to offer to the Buddha. Xiang Da.”
Xiang Da-lang quickly said, “Present!” and signalled for things to be carried in.
The abbot asked, “What is this?”
“Sugar towers.” Something Zhù Ying had worked out at home — sugar syrup mixed with colouring, cast in the shape of a pagoda, tapered at the top. Arranged in a row before the Buddha, they made quite an impressive display.
Zhù Ying took one from the box beside her, tapped it with a small mallet to break off a piece, put it in her mouth herself, and gestured to the abbot. “Sugar — vegetarian.”
The abbot took a piece himself uncertainly and put it in his mouth. “Indeed,” he said.
Zhù Ying asked, “How do you find it?”
The abbot offered another round of praise — this was genuinely not cheap; this Prefect’s sincerity was evident indeed. The abbot pressed his palms together and recited a Buddhist invocation, then invited Zhù Ying to draw a fortune stick. For officials, there was a certain art to drawing and interpreting fortune sticks. Usually one would not risk offending them, and would typically offer auspicious words about promotion — vermilion and purple robes, golden seals, and such. If an unfortunate stick was drawn, there were ways to redirect it with words.
Zhù Ying said, “No, no — the moment you draw one, it stops being efficacious. Please take good care of tomorrow’s arrangements, Abbot.”
“Amitabha.”
The next day, Zhù Ying had Xiang Da-lang bring another batch of sugar towers and make another offering, then set up a long table at the temple gate with many sugar towers on it. She paid her respects.
Everyone said it was a novelty. Some asked what it was. People Zhù Ying had placed in the crowd said: “Sugar towers. Offerings to the Buddha. Spreading blessings to everyone.”
Then the sugar towers were placed into the congee pots, sweetening the congee. A person who had received their bowl took a sip — it was sweet!
Zhù Ying said to Xiang Da-lang, “I give sugar to the gods and Buddhas — shouldn’t they help me sell sugar in return? Go — have people call out and make some proper noise. Spread the word well about them: this is the thing to offer if you want to show real style and sincerity!”
Wealthy households splash money in great quantities when making offerings. What does it matter what they offer? Compared to burning incense and paper, this can at least go into people’s mouths, can’t it?
Then she went to the largest Taoist temple in the prefectural city and repeated the whole procedure there.
After that, she left Xiang Da-lang behind in the prefectural city to handle business and headed back to the Southern Prefecture with her people — it was time to go into the mountains and do some trading!
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