“Ptui! Shameless!” Lu Guo spat on the ground.

Su Mingluan called out, “Uncle.”

Lu Guo said, “Did I say anything wrong? What does the Suoning family amount to? How dare they speak like that?”

Su Mingluan glanced quietly at Zhù Ying. Zhù Ying had always been a gentle, affable person, unfailingly courteous to people, and she had never shown contempt toward those from the mountains. Ever since Su Mingluan’s father had still been alive, right up to the present, whenever Zhù Ying was to meet with the various mountain tribes, she would at least wait at the door to receive them. Yet this time, when it came to the Yigan cave-chief, she had left all contact entirely to Xiang Le.

Something was not quite right.

Zhù Ying remained as pleasant as ever. She said to Lu Guo, “Don’t be angry just yet — there’s no one to compensate you if you ruin your own health. Perhaps this is only a probing move. Let us wait for the Yigan cave-chief’s reply before deciding on a course of action.”

Lu Guo fumed and grumbled, “The prefect is being far too even-tempered! It’s infuriating!”

Lang Kunwu curled the corner of his lip and thought to himself: If she had a temper, we’d be the ones in trouble, you fool!

Zhù Ying remained unruffled. She said, “His asking price is far too high. If we treat his demands as something worthy of serious deliberation right now, we’ll be the ones making fools of ourselves. Don’t be hasty. Stop being angry — if you’re truly in a bad mood, go to the marketplace and take in the bustle; your spirits will lift.”

Lu Guo let out a long, mournful sigh.

Zhù Ying smiled and let the matter pass, telling everyone not to take it to heart. Then she turned to Su Mingluan and Lang Kunwu and said, “The Suoning family is situated close to Asu County — I can believe people would flee there. But why did he demand Talang County by name as well? What is that about?”

Lang Kunwu said, “A mad dog bites indiscriminately.”

Zhù Ying offered a few more words of comfort, then said, “We had originally planned to clear the wild wolves off the forest roads once more, but everyone’s spirits are low right now, so let us wait until we’ve settled down before discussing it.”

She dismissed the meeting.

The five county magistrates drifted out in twos and threes. Lu Guo went to find Su Mingluan to talk, while Xi Jin sought out Lang Kunwu; everyone found their own nephew. Seeing this, the Mountain Sparrow’s father-in-law also drifted toward Lang Kunwu’s side.

On Zhù Ying’s end, she summoned Su Feihu and asked how many members of his household he planned to bring down the mountain, so she could decide whether to arrange additional rooms to house them all. Su Feihu still wished to wait until the matter of the Suoning family was resolved before discussing who would come down.

Zhù Ying said, “You’ll have your turn to contribute — don’t be hasty. Let me ask you this: how many cave-soldiers does the Suoning family have? What are their strengths? What is the terrain like around their stronghold…”

Su Feihu said, “Godfather — are you planning to —”

Zhù Ying said, “I’m only asking. I haven’t demanded anything.”

A rare expression of guileless cunning crossed Su Feihu’s face. “What I know may not be much, but it’s certainly no less than what anyone else knows.”

“Come, let us talk it through in the study.”

The two of them went to the study and stood before a topographical map — a map of the surrounding terrain. It was still rather rough, but it was a map, and somewhat more precise than what others had in their hands. Godfather and godson pointed at the map and discussed, when a knock came at the door, followed by Xiang Le’s voice: “Prefect, I have returned.”

Zhù Ying said, “Come in.”

Xiang Le entered and said to Zhù Ying, “The cave-chief has been seen out of the city.”

Zhù Ying said, “Have someone keep watch. Look in on his stronghold and see whether any messengers come and go. Keep a safe distance — don’t approach — and tell me either way.”

Xiang Le said, “Understood.”

They had been speaking in the official language. Su Feihu had understood almost none of it, and after Xiang Le withdrew, Zhù Ying switched back to Qixia to continue discussing the Suoning family with him.

The Suoning family and the Asu family were both enormously powerful clans within the Ying tribe, each commanding vast territories and known for their ferocity in battle. The two families had long been at odds and raided each other’s lands regularly. Their people were farmers in peacetime and soldiers in wartime, and they possessed one further advantage that those below the mountains lacked — a certain number of hunters.

A large stronghold could readily field two or three hundred men for a minor skirmish; in earnest, they could muster over a thousand. When survival itself was at stake and the subordinate smaller strongholds were combed through as well, one could scrape together roughly five thousand fighting-capable individuals.

Zhù Ying thought to herself: Five thousand? My territory could barely scrape together five hundred if every household sent one person…

Meanwhile, the two pairs of aunt-and-nephew, uncle-and-niece, were quite lively on the other side.

Su Mingluan sat watching Lu Guo pace circles around the room, berating the Suoning cave-chief as “shameless” and “having too large a mouth” with every circuit. After a long while, seeing that Su Mingluan still made no move, Lu Guo said, “Little sister, why don’t you say anything? We must all speak plainly before the prefect — we cannot let the Suoning family’s scheme succeed!”

Su Mingluan said, “He also demanded my slaves, and even I am not this angry. Uncle, why exactly are you this furious? If you can’t explain yourself clearly, that simply will not do.” Lu Guo and Xi Jin’s families were both rather weak militarily, yet Lu Guo was jumping the highest — this was entirely out of character for her uncle.

Lu Guo said, “Don’t play dumb! He’s already overbearing enough as it is — give him bladed weapons on top of that and we’ll be bullied even more!”

Su Mingluan eyed him with suspicion. Lu Guo stiffened his neck defiantly. “Don’t tell me you want someone like that living next door? That won’t do! How can you be so naive? I’m going to tell your brother about this.”

Su Mingluan’s eyes went cold. “Oh? Is it not rather because Godfather taking him in would allow him access to the marketplace, which would cut into the profits you make as an intermediary?”

The merchants of the marketplace earned money through trade between the mountains and the lowlands. Lu Guo’s family made money through trade between different parts within the mountains. If the Suoning family were brought to the same level as his family, he stood to lose a considerable income.

Lu Guo said, “Don’t you profit too? In a word — if he’s allowed to come, he must abide by the agreements everyone else follows. He cannot be allowed to grab more than his share. If weapons are to be given to him, all families must receive the same! Otherwise won’t we be bullied by him? We follow the prefect’s lead — not to be bullied. I intend to make this clear to the prefect. Will you come with me or not? If you come, we’ll go together; let’s also ask Xi Jin and the others. If you all refuse, I’ll go myself.”

Su Mingluan thought to herself: Godfather had only just said within her own stronghold that she could not afford to leave the impression that “being a tethered county means accepting beatings from others,” and yet here was Uncle saying exactly that. What a remarkable coincidence.

She said, “Godfather hasn’t agreed to anything yet. It’s not too late to talk after the Yigan cave-chief sends his reply.”

In her heart she planned to send Lu Guo off first and then find Godfather alone for a private talk. As for Xi Jin’s side, Su Mingluan wasn’t confident she could reach an agreement with them. It seemed Lang Kunwu and the others weren’t particularly eager either, but there had been Zhù Ying’s earlier remark that “whatever later-comers receive, those who arrived first will also be compensated,” and she feared that greed might cloud their judgment and cause them to try to piggyback off the Suoning cave-chief’s demands in order to claim benefits for themselves.

Su Mingluan did not know how many resources Zhù Ying had at her disposal, but to make that many demands and then give out five additional shares all at once — by any reckoning that seemed impossible. If an agreement could not be reached, the only outcome would be a falling-out, and that would be very difficult to walk back. She was in a different position from the others — her standing within the Asu family was relatively secure, though not without vulnerabilities — and she would be hard-pressed to find another person like Zhù Ying to help her again.

She must protect Godfather!

Su Mingluan gently coaxed Lu Guo: “If Uncle leaps up and fights for them first, they’ll be the ones watching the spectacle. I simply don’t believe they won’t be anxious.”

Lu Guo said, “Then it’s agreed — the moment Yigan arrives, we keep close watch.”

“Agreed.”

Su Mingluan made to see Lu Guo back to his room, but Lu Guo said, “No need — I’ll go take a walk.”

Su Mingluan watched him leave the guest quarters and head outside the residence, then turned her gaze toward Lang Kunwu’s lodging.

The three men gathered there were noisier together than a thousand ducks. Xi Jin had suddenly found his voice: “Could the Suoning family have gone mad?”

The Mountain Sparrow’s father-in-law said coolly, “Why didn’t you say that earlier? What are you shouting about now?”

Xi Jin said, “Don’t tell me you’re willing to accept this?”

The Mountain Sparrow’s father-in-law said placidly, “Before, the prefect-governor said that whatever later-comers receive, those who arrived first will be given the same. Once the Suoning family gets their share, you’ll receive a portion too — what’s there to be angry about? Is this because the good fortune of a marriage alliance with the Yigan family was snatched away from you, and you’re bearing a grudge? Be a man about it — your own son isn’t even angry, so what are you angry for?”

Xi Jin leapt to his feet. “Who said anything about that?!”

The Mountain Sparrow’s father-in-law said, “Then what are you angry about? Why refuse a good thing?”

As the two of them grew more and more unreasonable, Lang Kunwu quickly cut in: “We cannot agree to it!”

The Mountain Sparrow’s father-in-law asked, “Why not?”

Lang Kunwu said, “You don’t know this — my Godfather is not someone to be trifled with.”

The other two looked rather unconvinced. Lang Kunwu shook his head. “If Godfather agreed to compensate the Suoning family with my slaves, I wouldn’t accept it either. Why should I accommodate them? Just because they arrived late? A younger son who comes to steal the family inheritance deserves to be beaten by his elder brothers.”

Xi Jin said, “What if we just wait and see how much he manages to extract? Whatever he gets, we ought to be able to get the same. Between the three of us here, surely we needn’t fear one Suoning family. What could they possibly grab? We could agree to giving him goods without returning any slaves… but then again, if you’ve taken someone else’s slaves, don’t you have to give them back?”

Lang Kunwu looked at him steadily.

The Mountain Sparrow’s father-in-law, seeing that Xi Jin had actually taken his earlier words seriously, hurried to say, “Don’t do anything rash! One share for him, then one each to compensate the five of us — six shares total. I don’t think the prefect-governor would agree to that. Don’t provoke the court!”

Lang Kunwu said firmly, “I won’t agree to it either!”

Xi Jin said sheepishly, “Then if we don’t agree, what do we do? What on earth is the Suoning family thinking? If they’d just hurry up and lower their price…”

“What are you thinking?” The Yigan cave-chief was also asking the Suoning cave-chief.

He had conveyed Zhù Ying’s words to the Suoning cave-chief, and when the Suoning cave-chief had laid out his terms, even he had felt those demands were excessive.

The Suoning cave-chief said, “What am I thinking? She said everything could be discussed, so I discussed it!”

“But isn’t this… a bit too much?”

“Why are you so unhappy about this?”

“There are several other families watching,” the Yigan cave-chief said, “and by all accounts, they don’t seem to have gotten anywhere near this much — just some seeds, and she taught them to grow wheat.”

“Each person gets what they can manage. They had no ability; that hardly means I should ask for less. That won’t do!”

“But you shouldn’t provoke too many people at once — we want to see this matter settled.”

The Suoning cave-chief thought for a moment, then said, “All right, I’ll drop the sugar for now. Everything else must be given to me!”

“But they have so much sugar…”

The Suoning cave-chief said, “No sugar is fine — the other things are the ones that truly matter.”

“Even so, that’s still a great deal. Why do you want so much?”

The Suoning cave-chief said, “In the past two years alone, this is the shortfall I’ve accumulated! Some of my slaves ran away, and some of the people from my strongholds ran away too — of course I want them to make it up to me. With fewer farmers, food production dropped. I’ve had to send people out to hunt down escaped slaves, wasting all manner of resources — all of it is their fault. Of course they must compensate me! What I’ve lost, I naturally want back!”

The Yigan cave-chief listened as the Suoning cave-chief itemized everything one account at a time, and suddenly found himself thinking it was almost reasonable. Then he thought of his own tribespeople — some of whom also wanted to go out to seek their livelihoods — and thought: since she said everything can be discussed, perhaps I should also…

The Suoning cave-chief added, “And you needn’t be afraid — if it comes to fighting, I’m not afraid of them either!”

“There are five families, plus the lowlanders!”

The Suoning cave-chief said, “Afraid of what? I’m not looking to fight a great war with them. Everything I’ve said is the truth. In these past two years, I never once blocked their roads! If she refuses to pay up, we’ll just have to test it — see whether their merchants can still travel freely, whether their trade can still be conducted. What she stands to lose would far exceed what I’m demanding of her!”

The Yigan cave-chief’s heart beat a little faster; his back began to sweat. He pondered how to convey these words, which carried the unmistakable weight of a threat, in terms that sounded somewhat more tactful.

The scouts dispatched from the mountain estate were people who had lived scattered throughout the mountain forests for many years. They kept watch on the Yigan family’s stronghold deep into the night and observed no messengers coming or going. After one shift change, dawn arrived and still no one had emerged. A hunter stifled a yawn and thought to himself: Nothing’s happening at this place — what’s the point of watching it? What is the master trying to do?

The “master” was in conversation with her two grown children.

Su Mingluan, seeing no one around, slipped away to find Zhù Ying — only to arrive and discover that her elder brother was already in the study. The two siblings found themselves staring at each other across Zhù Ying’s writing desk, and both fell silent.

Zhù Ying said, “You’re both here? Sit down.”

She had already spent half the day speaking with Su Feihu and now had a considerably deeper understanding of the Suoning family. The Suoning family had good reason for their arrogance — in a direct confrontation between the Asu family and the Suoning family, the Asu family had little advantage. The two sides were evenly matched. Su Feihu’s view was that if Zhù Ying could provide better weapons and equipment, their chances of winning would improve significantly.

Zhù Ying neither agreed nor disagreed.

Su Mingluan said, “Godfather, please settle the matter of the Suoning family quickly — otherwise…”

Zhù Ying said, “I know. Is that what you came for?”

Su Mingluan nodded. “Yes. Godfather — surely you are not going to accept his terms?”

Zhù Ying smiled faintly. “Do I look like a fat sheep? I said that everything can be discussed — that doesn’t mean he can demand anything he likes. He listed all those demands without once asking what we want from him. Interesting. He’s treating us like dishes on his table, to pick at whatever he fancies — since when has the world ever worked so conveniently?”

Su Mingluan said, “Does that mean —”

“Shh—” Zhù Ying made a small gesture.

Su Mingluan instinctively reached to cover her mouth, then deliberately lowered her hand.

A flicker of amusement crossed Su Feihu’s eyes before his expression grew serious again.

Zhù Ying said slowly, “People are people, and there are only so many of them. If you want more people, there are two ways. The first is through birth and nurturing — you need food, clothing, shelter, and security, and it takes a decade or more before the next generation grows up. The second way is faster: you obtain people from others. The situation right now is the second kind.”

“Yes,” Su Mingluan said, “I’ve thought the same. When life gets a little better, people are also willing to have children — but they’re all babies, and you need hands to look after them. I have no other way either. And besides — they came to my territory of their own will.”

“Water flows downhill, and people seek higher ground. Whether you want it or not, when you prosper, people will naturally come to you; when you don’t, your own people will flee to others. Could I press down on you and forbid you from living well? There are only so many people in total — what you gain, they lose. This is a Gordian knot! It’s not something that can be resolved simply by my wishing you not to fight.

“Back then, I told you: if we only do trade, I could hollow out your family’s foundation, and what do you think would happen then? You couldn’t very well sit there and let it happen without fighting back to the bitter end, could you? The same logic applies to population. Since it must come to blows, better sooner than later — fight it out early and get on with living afterwards. Between you and them, I will naturally stand on your side. This is better for both of us.” Zhù Ying said this in a cool, matter-of-fact tone.

Zhù Ying had already thought it through clearly: the matter of population was insoluble — one side’s gain was necessarily the other’s loss. If the Suoning cave-chief were one of her own people, the two sides might have found some accommodation — a seven-year covenant, for instance, or the prospect that as conditions improved, people who were willing to have children could also afford to raise them. But the Suoning cave-chief was demanding people and goods without once raising the question of whether he was willing to accept the tethered county arrangement. That was placing orders while refusing to pay.

Su Mingluan’s spirits rose! She had always longed to tear a piece off the Suoning family!

Both siblings were in high spirits. From the very beginning, all they had asked of Zhù Ying was that she help and support their family. But Zhù Ying’s plans went far beyond theirs — she had assembled all of Wuzhou in one sweep.

Su Mingluan said, “Then this is perfect. Once we’ve beaten them into submission, they can do as they’re told and be a proper county magistrate under Godfather’s authority — and Wuzhou will have yet another county. No, wait — two. As long as the Suoning family is subdued, the Yigan family will also fall into line. And then we could continue pushing westward…”

“No more,” Zhù Ying said.

Su Mingluan was startled. “Why? Does Godfather not want more tethered counties? Are you saying you have too many counties to manage?”

Zhù Ying said calmly, “I can’t manage more than I already have. Back then I told you — even with my help, even if you could defeat everyone else, you still couldn’t govern a territory that large. The roads are poor, and I don’t have enough capable people. How would I govern it? The same would be true if it were me instead. Neither of us has wings. With the mountain estate as the center, at most we add either the Suoning family or the Yigan family. If anyone wants more than that, it would require the court to deploy a great army — and even if you were willing, I am not. This is enough.”

Su Feihu exhaled with relief and was quick to say, “Right — let’s focus on handling the Suoning family ourselves. No need for any great army from the court. They’re not easy to deal with, though, and they have a lot of people.”

“There are ways,” Zhù Ying said. “But we’ll need to plan carefully. Let’s work it out properly — let’s talk first about how to divide things up. Lang Kunwu may also want to be part of this.”

The two siblings exchanged a look and immediately became alert.

The following morning, as soon as Zhù Ying rose, Xiang Le came to report: “Prefect, there was no one coming or going at the mountain stronghold last night.”

Zhù Ying said, “Keep watching.”

Near noon, Xiang Le returned again: “Prefect, the Yigan cave-chief is headed toward the mountain estate. Could that mean… the Suoning cave-chief has been at his stronghold this entire time?”

Zhù Ying said, “Most likely. When he arrives, bring him to me.”

“Understood.”

When the Yigan cave-chief arrived, the estate was just preparing to lay out the midday meal. Following the previous custom, Zhù Ying was hosting a banquet for all the county magistrates at the estate, and today’s gathering also included Su Feihu. A place was also set for the Yigan cave-chief.

The Yigan cave-chief arrived just as the meal was beginning.

Zhù Ying said, “Eat first, talk after.”

The Yigan cave-chief looked at the delicate dishes laid before him and found himself unable to taste any of it, despite the weight of what was on his mind. The Mountain Sparrow’s father-in-law and the others also ate distractedly. Only Su Feihu ate with gusto.

Lu Guo set down his chopsticks and said, “Prefect, since the Yigan family is already here, let us hear what he has to say! Otherwise this meal won’t sit well.”

On hearing this, the Yigan cave-chief also laid down his chopsticks. He wanted to get through this quickly so he could go home.

Zhù Ying said, “Very well.”

The Yigan cave-chief found himself at a loss for words. Su Feihu said, “No need to say it — I’m sure it’s nothing good.”

The Yigan cave-chief said, “Young man, what kind of way is that to speak?”

Zhù Ying stopped their exchange. “Let’s get to the point.”

The Yigan cave-chief said, “I conveyed to the Suoning family that they ought to give a little ground. He said that the sugar could be set aside for now, but everything else could not be reduced.” He had softened the Suoning cave-chief’s words considerably, yet as they came out they still made Su Feihu and Lang Kunwu want to strike someone.

Zhù Ying nodded. “I take his meaning. What I want to know is this: what can he offer me? What can he offer the people here? Everyone here brings something to the table. What does the Suoning cave-chief bring?”

The Yigan cave-chief hesitated, then said, “We… won’t attack you.”

“Is he joining us?”

The Yigan cave-chief looked like he was struggling to answer. Zhù Ying said, “Feel free to go back and discuss it with him further. Think it over carefully, then bring me his answer.”

The Yigan cave-chief said, “We’re not joining — but we haven’t been causing trouble either.”

Zhù Ying said, “His asking price is too high, and he’s offering me too little. Please carry one more message on my behalf: with the others who have come before, what they receive, they cherish. I am not the same — in my arrangement, outsiders can never demand more than my own people. I cannot let people say I forget old friends when new ones arrive, or that I treat newcomers better than those who were here first.”

A look of distress crossed the Yigan cave-chief’s face. He stopped eating, rose to his feet and said, “Very well, I’ll go again.”

“There’s no hurry. Such important matters must be approached with care. In a few days I’ll be going back down the mountain — there are affairs to attend to below. We can continue this conversation when I come up again next time. Everyone is still here, after all. There is no rush.”

The Yigan cave-chief forced a smile and departed hastily.

As soon as he left, another person looked ready to fling their chopsticks. Zhù Ying continued eating calmly, and turned to Lang Kunwu with her chopsticks in hand. “What are you angry at him for? The principal party hasn’t even appeared yet and you’ve already worked yourself into a state. There are so many of us here, and only one and a half of them — it should be them doing the worrying.”

The Mountain Sparrow’s father-in-law said, “And what does the prefect plan to do?”

“Eat. And once the trading session is over, I’ll tour the strongholds with the Chief Secretary and Military Supervisor, let everyone get to know both of them — then go back down to the prefectural seat and have people there meet them as well. Why have you let the Suoning family become such a big matter in your mind? Handle your own affairs well, and even if something goes wrong over there, there’s nothing to fear.”

The Mountain Sparrow’s father-in-law sat back down. “That’s true.”

At this meal, the number who managed to eat with any peace of mind was very small. The kitchen staff were baffled: “Why is so much left over?” Then it struck them that all the leftovers were theirs to keep, and their mood brightened at once. They packed some portions to bring home and share with their families.

By the time Zhù Ying departed the mountain estate, the Yigan cave-chief had still not returned — presumably locked in renewed and earnest discussion with his son-in-law.

Zhù Ying proceeded according to her plans, having already reached an agreement with Su Mingluan. After Su Mingluan returned home to begin preparations, Zhù Ying’s side would employ a strategy of delay in order to buy Su Mingluan time. The first step was to finish constructing the small relay stations along the road from the mountain estate to Asu County. Zhù Ying also selected two of the Suoning family’s smaller strongholds as targets.

Su Feihu set about studying how to take these two small strongholds.

Before departing, Lang Kunwu came to find Zhù Ying. “Godfather, will you agree to the Suoning family’s demands? And if so, which ones?”

Zhù Ying asked, “What do you think?”

Lang Kunwu said, “He is not one of ours! What seven-year covenant applies to him? Just because he says something is his, does that make it his?”

“Not give?”

“Not give!” Lang Kunwu said. “He also wants weapons — Godfather, that’s not easy to agree to either! Those of us who came first got very little. To give them to him — I refuse to accept that! Either everyone gets them, or no one does!”

Zhù Ying said, “Understood. What if only those who came first receive them?”

Lang Kunwu’s expression froze. “Godfather?”

Zhù Ying said, “The private trade you’ve been conducting quietly among yourselves — he has no access to those channels. If you object to the situation, then prepare yourself and make sure he can’t come and snatch away your people again.”

Lang Kunwu felt the same jolt Su Mingluan had felt moments ago, not having expected that even their private dealings had come to Zhù Ying’s attention. He said, “Understood.”

Zhù Ying added, “Keep it in your own heart. If you can’t keep things in your heart, then in the future I won’t keep matters in your hands either.”

Lang Kunwu thought for a moment, his eyes widening slightly, and then nodded firmly.

Zhù Ying departed with her Chief Secretary and Military Supervisor, making inspections as she traveled back to the prefecture.

Returning to the prefectural seat, she found that Chief Deputy Zhang had already come back and was waiting at the city gate with an escort to receive her.

Zhù Ying spotted Chief Deputy Zhang from a distance and could not help but smile. “Now I can rest easy!” With Chief Deputy Zhang holding things together at home, she could focus her attention fully on mountain affairs.

When they met, Zhù Ying was uncharacteristically warm: “Old Zhang, you’ve finally returned! I’ve been looking forward to seeing you!”

Chief Deputy Zhang himself was in fine spirits with a healthy flush in his complexion. His trip to the capital had given him the chance to meet many people, and he had cut quite a figure about the capital in his red official’s robes for a good long time. He had even been granted an audience with the Council of State, which had put a great many questions to him about Wuzhou — all of which he was eager to discuss with Zhù Ying. He had spoken up loudly on her behalf about the hardships she faced, and had shed more than a few tears on Wuzhou’s behalf over its poverty.

“It really is poor!” Chief Deputy Zhang said. “Minister Dou is quite formidable — he was already angling to tax us sooner…”

Zhù Ying laughed outright.

Chief Deputy Zhang also said, “Zhao Su truly lives up to his reputation as someone trained under you — his bearing and manner of speech are thoroughly that of a refined scholar.”

They chattered on together at great length.

After a while, Zhang finally noticed Su Feihu and Lin Miao, and asked, “Who are these two?”

Zhù Ying said, “Chief Secretary Su and Military Supervisor Lin.” She then introduced their backgrounds, and mentioned that the two men’s command of the official language left much to be desired. Chief Deputy Zhang nodded with a knowing smile.

They returned to the city. Zhù Ying arranged for students from the foreign-learning school to act as interpreters for the two men and helped them get settled first.

Su Feihu had something heavy on his mind and would have liked to be in constant consultation with Zhù Ying about when the Suoning family could be dealt with. Yet Zhù Ying seemed to have entirely forgotten the matter. At the prefectural seat, Zhù Ying conducted all her official addresses in the official language. Su Deng had found him a dedicated interpreter to follow him about. Through this interpreter, he learned that Zhù Ying was currently meeting with former students.

At the end of the second month, an official dispatch from the Ministry of Personnel arrived at Wuzhou. Zhù Ying’s proposed adjustments to the official posts of Guo and Mo were approved; simultaneously, official documents arrived in Wuzhou for each of the students Zhù Ying had placed.

Zhù Ying convened the officials and attendants from all three counties and the prefectural seat, together with the students of the prefectural school, and announced the appointments in a collective assembly.

Su Feihu’s head swam listening to it all. Even with an interpreter, he could not make out what all the names of various counties and districts referred to. He could tell at least that they were all officials.

The entire city of Wuzhou was buzzing with excitement, with not the slightest air of a place about to go to war.

Zhù Ying even leisurely hosted a dinner for everyone holding an official position. Over the meal, she spoke with weight and sincerity: “It is not that Wuzhou lacks capable people — it is only that there has been no opportunity, and they have been held back. When you go to other places and encounter talented, accomplished people, do not feel inferior. However, we have indeed been isolated here, and your experience has been more limited than others’. When you encounter certain people and situations, do not overestimate yourselves either.”

Su Feihu grasped the meaning of these words and found them entirely sensible.

Yet he remained puzzled. The mountains were clearly making preparations; he himself had been pondering the matter day and night. So why did things down here in the lowlands look as though not one single preparation was being made? Even if Zhù Ying didn’t want the court’s great army involved, Su Feihu thought at the very least the lowlands should be readying weapons and the like — and yet the entire city showed not the slightest stir.

He wanted to make inquiries, but the language barrier stood in the way, and he was so frustrated that he thrust his son at Su Deng, telling Su Deng to teach the boy to “speak” properly and have him on hand as an interpreter at all times, ready to answer Su Feihu’s questions whenever they arose.