Zhù Ying bent down and asked, “Who are you? How old are you this year?”

The child said, “I am Lingdang. Nine years old.”

Her voice was sweet and crisp — like a little bell itself. Children who lack food and clothing tend to look younger than they are. This little girl appeared to be about six or seven. Her clothes were thin and ill-fitting, a blue cloth vest in tatters; as she moved, the clear outline of her ribs was visible through the ragged edges.

Zhù Ying asked, “How did you find me?”

Lingdang said, “Word was spreading in the stronghold that the chief was very angry. I heard it and ran.”

Zhù Ying asked which stronghold she was from. Lingdang jumped up and pointed ahead. “Right there! My home is there! My mother is there!”

Zhù Ying asked about the stronghold this little girl had come from. The girl said, “Find my mother for me and I’ll take you there too.”

Zhù Ying reached out and lifted her up to sit in front of her on the horse, then made a gesture to her attendants signaling caution. A child estimated at nine years old proactively coming to lead the way — there was something slightly suspicious about it. As Zhù Ying moved slowly forward, controlling her horse carefully, she observed the terrain around her, wary of someone having set a trap.

Lingdang only spoke Qixia, but she spoke clearly and was able to give a fairly complete account of herself: “I have no father. I lived with my mother and my brother. The chief’s sister married into a stronghold over that way and had a daughter. Last year she came to visit our stronghold and wanted to have me. The chief sent me over. A few days ago I heard them say my brother died. I missed my mother.”

Zhù Ying listened in silence. Events like this befalling slaves were far too common — like a ewe giving birth to a lamb, when the master wanted to send the lamb away, he would never think to consult the ewe.

Lingdang said, “You’ve gone off the right path — it’s this way.” She corrected their course.

Zhù Ying’s interest in her was piqued. “Have you traveled this road before?”

The little girl tilted her head back to look up at Zhù Ying’s chin: “No. I just knew it by looking.”

Zhù Ying became even more cautious. She knew all the nearby strongholds, and this little girl had not come from any of them. Could the path she was leading them down be reliable? Or should she wait for an adult to come and guide them?

News traveled both fast and slow in the mountains — slow for long distances, but fast among neighboring strongholds which communicated readily with each other. If this child could come, adults could find their way to her too.

Zhù Ying moved very slowly. Lingdang grew a little anxious. “The way I’m pointing is correct!”

The more insistently Lingdang said this, the less inclined Zhù Ying was to speed up. She sent out more scouts, had Hu Shijie on high alert, and at the same time told several of the people designated for calling out to rest their voices — ready to shout out Zhù Ying’s message the moment they faced any opposition.

They traveled for most of the day. Not the slightest stir along the road. Drawing near the stronghold, a group of people suddenly appeared ahead. The two sides called out to one another. Zhù Ying had her side say they were messengers from the small stronghold. The approaching group suspected nothing, and came forward to find out what was happening. Walking close enough, they realized something was wrong — but by then it was too late to run. Hu Shijie sent a sling-stone flying and dropped the first man. Zhù Ying’s rapid-fire arrows followed immediately, and the hunters among the attendants each showed their skills. Then came the pursuit; in short order the entire group was eliminated.

Only then did Zhù Ying pick up the pace. They rode hard all the way to the stronghold. This was a medium-sized stronghold. Those inside had dimly gathered that their chief was in conflict with someone, and the enemy was already upon them — the gate was closed.

Zhù Ying had people shout: “Open up! We’ve escaped!”

Those inside still wanted to know who they were. Zhù Ying considered having them pose as people from the Yigan family. Those inside were still doubtful: “The cave-chief hasn’t come — why are you here?”

Lingdang shrieked at the top of her voice: “I’m back! It’s me! I’m Lingdang from the east room under the big tree!”

She had been gone less than two years, and the people in the stronghold still remembered her. The gate opened. Zhù Ying’s group surged in! Her attendants shouted all the way: “Kill the cave-chief, remove the shackles, there’s rice to eat!” “Open the granary and distribute rice!” “A promise is a promise!” “You’ve been beaten and cursed — could anyone new be any worse?” “Don’t fight and die for someone who beats you.” “Think about who it is that beats you.”

These words hit home. Day-to-day life for the slaves was truly grim.

Lingdang said, “My, my mother…”

No matter how she called out, Zhù Ying still handled her own business first — giving the order to take control of the stronghold, placing the chieftain and his household in shackles and confining them — and only then took Lingdang to find her mother.

Lingdang’s family lived in a small shed near a large tree on the eastern side of the stronghold. All around were similar low, cramped sheds. Every morning when the sun rose, the chickens in the stronghold would fly up into the tree and crow, waking the people who lived here. This place was home to all the people in the stronghold who woke earliest.

Lingdang plunged headfirst into the house, and then let out a great cry: “Mother!”

There was no sound from inside.

Zhù Ying suspected her mother had already died. Hu Shijie stood guard before Zhù Ying with a short blade. Two attendants stepped forward and pushed aside the torn cloth that served as the door — this house didn’t even have a real door, as if there were nothing inside worth stealing. With the cloth pushed aside, light spilled in from outside. Zhù Ying waited a moment, then through Lingdang’s sobbing came to understand the scene within.

Bare walls on all sides. Dry grass spread over the floor. A low, flat-topped structure that could only loosely be called a bed, covered with a grass mat, a piece of tattered sheepskin laid on top. On the bed lay a desiccated woman, and beside the bed sat a half-finished wicker basket. Lingdang threw her arms around the woman’s legs: “Mother! Mother!”

The woman’s two legs were not quite the same — one longer, one shorter. The shorter one had no foot; the wound was bound in cloth.

Zhù Ying said quietly, “Find someone to ask.”

Soon a slightly bolder slave from the neighboring sheds was brought over, blinking nervously. The shackle had just been removed from his neck; his neck and wrists still bore the marks. He was not yet accustomed to its absence. In a low voice he said, “One day her brother went out to tend the cattle, and the cattle came back but the person didn’t. The chief said he must have run away, and had her mother’s foot cut off.”

Zhù Ying asked, “And her brother? Was he ever found? Does anyone know where he went?”

The slave said, “He was found. He’d fallen into a mountain gorge and died. He hadn’t run.”

Hu Shijie, who understood the general meaning through her connection to Su Zhe, ground her teeth.

The sounds from inside changed to weeping. Zhù Ying said, “Go and see.” She also sent the slave who had just spoken to line up near the tree on that side and wait to receive his share of rice from the granary. If everyone crowded together, chaos would follow, and suppressing the chaos would require the use of force — which would be terrible. Clear terms had to be set from the start, to ensure things proceeded in an orderly way.

Over there the rice was being distributed. Over here Zhù Ying entered the house. The woman had still not moved in all this time — things didn’t look promising. Going closer confirmed her fears. The woman’s eyes were already closed. Hu Shijie stepped forward and tested for breath, then shook her head at Zhù Ying. Zhù Ying patted Lingdang’s head. Lingdang shuddered, looked up at her, eyes red. Zhù Ying asked, “Is there anyone else in the family?”

Lingdang shook her head.

Zhù Ying extended a hand toward her. Lingdang looked at the hand, then at the person. She wiped her own small hand vigorously against her clothing, then placed her thin little hand into Zhù Ying’s.

Zhù Ying pulled her up and said, “Your mother waited for you.”

Lingdang burst into loud crying.

Zhù Ying said, “Let us bury your mother together with your brother. I’ll call two people to help you.”

She could not stay long — there was still the entire stronghold’s business to attend to. She had brought many people, but almost none were literate. Fortunately among the attendants were three “village headmen” from the mountain estate, as well as several squad and unit leaders. The situation was barely held under control.

Zhù Ying said, “By my order: corporal punishment is abolished in all territories I reach. Capital crimes are punished by death. Non-capital offenses are punished by beating or by forfeiture of goods. No other punishments are to be added.”

“Understood!”

Zhù Ying settled this stronghold’s affairs and arranged the release of the original slaves. She did not hand the farmland directly over to the slaves entirely, but instead distributed land in a manner similar to the official field-allocation system and collected tax from it. She then designated some elders as temporary managers.

Previously, slaves had no land or workshops of their own — all work was assigned by others. Set free all at once, they might not know how to coordinate water and irrigation, and would need guidance. Slaves had no draft animals, no farm tools, and not even a proper house — they were extremely weak. If the land were simply distributed outright, within a few years most would lose it again through consolidation.

This was something confirmed by countless years of lowland experience. Land consolidation was a constant headache for the court.

Zhù Ying bundled up all the chieftain’s land as her own war spoils. The slaves had their shackles removed and “long-leased” her land. This could better guarantee their status and make it less easy for them to fall back into slavery through debt again.

Most of the slaves and commoners could be settled in this way.

Hu Shijie then brought Lingdang back to her. Lingdang was now an orphan. To leave her in the stronghold — a small girl on her own would likely not fare very well. Hu Shijie thought it over. An orphan girl was easy prey, and a child this size had no way to support herself. Down below they had the children’s welfare school, and even the sugar workshops took on apprentices — either was better than leaving her here. So she casually took the girl along with her.

The little girl’s eyes were still red. Zhù Ying asked, “What do you want to do from now on?”

Lingdang said, “You brought me to find my mother — that makes you my master. I meant what I said.”

“I can let you stay. Are you still willing to come with me?”

Lingdang nodded.

“All right then — come along with me. Hu Niang, give her a wash and find her something to wear.”

Zhù Ying sent two people to help her attend to the house. While these things were being done, a succession of slaves came seeking her out. One of them said, “We have killed the stronghold chief! Please come to us.”

Zhù Ying did not know at the time that these people would prove enormously troublesome. She had been bluffing her way through one stronghold after another without a hitch, until at last she was bluffed herself.

Zhù Ying followed this person to their stronghold. Before she even reached the gate, she sensed something was off — why were all the gate guards stumbling drunk?

She was extremely wary. All her attendants drew their long blades and nocked their bows.

Entering the stronghold, things were even more wrong. The air was thick with the smell of cooking meat and rice. Several people hung from the large flagpole — some clothed, some half-naked; by the look of their garments, they appeared to be the former chiefs. The people of the stronghold who came running out to greet the guide were — by Zhù Ying’s understanding of the entire Ying tribe — dressed in a manner that was entirely without coherence. A man with a woman’s silk robe wrapped around him. Feet in embroidered silk slippers, but with several holes gouged into them by a knife.

Zhù Ying asked, “What is all this?”

The man laughed. “Please come, to the main house.”

The main house was also a complete mess — not a single matched piece of furniture.

What had happened was that they had not only killed the chieftain’s entire family, spilled blood as an offering to heaven, but also spontaneously divided up everything in the stronghold. The stronghold had been having rice meals every day; the chieftain’s wine had been drunk down by more than half; livestock had been eaten or parceled out. Whatever was carried off from the chieftain’s house belonged to whoever carried it. People who had rolled around on the chieftain’s wives’ bedding, people who had taken away the chieftain’s family’s copper washbasin. They had been merrily celebrating for several days, and then simply didn’t know what to do next.

Having no written language, their governance was chaotic. The chieftain and his stewards had managed through generations of inherited knowledge. Most of the newly freed slaves had little grasp of numbers. When it came to dividing up the fields, they squabbled and argued with no reliable standard, and only then remembered hearing that there was someone who specialized in exactly this — and hurried to bring Zhù Ying in as the new stronghold chief.

The attendants were collectively taken aback. Zhù Ying let out a slow, steady breath: “Well then, let’s open the storehouse doors wide!” She absolutely refused to bear the responsibility of having the grain “disappear somehow.” Everyone had to see that they themselves had already consumed the bulk of it — that she had had no part in it.

Zhù Ying adjudicated sixty muddled disputes over “it’s unclear who took what” within a single day, and only then gained the stronghold’s people’s trust. She settled affairs there hastily and rushed on to the next stronghold. If every stronghold were like this one, she would be in serious trouble!

Lingdang followed Zhù Ying quietly. She had been washed until she was clean. A black silk garment from the chieftain’s wardrobe had been found for her. The black cloth headwrap on her head was fastened with two silver hairpins, also dug out of a jewelry case. The shoes on her feet made her a little uncomfortable; her toes kept squirming inside them, and within a few days she had pushed holes through the toe sections. So she wove a pair of grass sandals herself, tucked a piece of cloth inside to keep the grass from poking her feet, and found this far more comfortable than wearing cloth shoes.

She no longer chattered and jingled along. But she was earnest about leading Zhù Ying’s way. She couldn’t read, but when Zhù Ying showed her the map with a glance, she could easily find the right place.

Zhù Ying asked, “Have you been to all these strongholds?”

Lingdang said, “No, only two. But I just know the roads. Wherever I’ve heard about — if they described it right, I can find it.”

Zhù Ying said, “Then let’s pick up the pace!”

Zhù Ying’s progress on this route was remarkably smooth. She sent word to Su Mingluan: “Push hard — we’ll rendezvous at the Suoning main stronghold.”

Su Feihu could not fathom how Zhù Ying had moved so fast. Su Mingluan held something back and asked the messenger, “What methods has Godfather been using?”

The messenger recounted everything faithfully.

Su Feihu said, “What? All the slaves have been freed? How can that…”

Su Mingluan cut him off. “Brother! Godfather is right. This is the fastest way. And we don’t lose anything.”

Su Feihu said, “But what about the slaves in our own stronghold? You’ve been treating them reasonably, so they’re willing to work — but a slave is a slave. Once they’re released, then we lose…”

Su Mingluan said, “Brother! They’re still on our land. How have we lost anything? The work that needs doing, they’re still doing.”

Su Feihu said, “I just don’t like it.”

“Once we take the Suoning main stronghold, you’ll like it. Go!”

She also began to follow Zhù Ying’s approach. She herself was not as efficient as Zhù Ying, but she was a member of the same tribe and intimately familiar with every aspect of the Ying tribe. Once she had thought it through and grasped the key point, her progress turned out to be none too slow either.

Before long, the two groups converged at the Suoning main stronghold. The gate had been bluffed open by Zhù Ying — she had one group pose as routed soldiers and another group pose as their pursuers. When the gate opened, the first group through seized the gatehouse, and the second group followed right on their heels.

Su Mingluan arrived with her brother and her nephews to find Zhù Ying already on the city wall, waving to them.

Su Mingluan called up to her from below the wall: “Am I too late?”

“You’ve come just in time,” Zhù Ying said.

Su Mingluan led her people inside. Zhù Ying smiled and took them to sit in the main house. The Suoning family’s main house was comparable in size to the Asu family’s, and contained some impressive furnishings. Su Mingluan noticed a small child at Zhù Ying’s side and asked, “Who is this?” She didn’t look like a Suoning family girl — how could any family’s daughter be so skinny?

Zhù Ying said, “Newly arrived at my household — Lingdang.”

She passed over it with a single sentence. Su Mingluan couldn’t resist a bit of flattery: “Worthy of Godfather — I thought I might get here first. Godfather’s methods are truly impressive. I came too late.”

Zhù Ying said, “The real work has only just begun. How is this being late? Taking the fight is not the end — the difficult problems only emerge afterward. Handle them well and you remove a thorny threat from your side. Handle them poorly and everything we’ve done will come to nothing. Let us sit down and talk.”

The two of them, the better half of the pair, held an urgent consultation. Zhù Ying did most of the talking while Su Mingluan and Su Feihu listened. In accordance with the prior agreement made with Lang Kunwu and the Mountain Sparrow, their shares were to be honored even though they hadn’t arrived themselves. Then came the division of the Suoning family’s territory between the two of them. At this point some of the smaller strongholds were still not fully pacified, but the approach had already been established — just follow the same procedure. This main stronghold was closer to Su Mingluan’s territory, and Zhù Ying was not claiming it — the territory would be divided as previously agreed. Using a mountain valley as the boundary line, the area to the north was Zhù Ying’s, the area to the south went to Su Mingluan. Su Mingluan felt this wasn’t fair, thinking the treasures could go entirely to Lang Kunwu and the son-in-law, and that she would additionally allocate some people to Zhù Ying.

Zhù Ying said, “What I’ve received is enough, and you are also short on people.”

After some back-and-forth, Zhù Ying said, “Like this then — I won’t take your people, but I want you to contribute some effort.”

“Please tell me, Godfather.”

“The roads need to continue being built and maintained. Impassable roads make people impossible to govern. We must absorb this newly gained population as soon as possible.”

“Agreed!” Su Mingluan was happy to take on this task.

The two then discussed further matters. Zhù Ying then issued her decree: “Human sacrifice is abolished.” From this point forward, the entire territory of Wuzhou, including the newly taken lands, abolished human sacrifice.

Su Feihu could contribute nothing to these discussions and nearly dozed off listening. When at last the two had more or less finished, Su Feihu said, “Godfather, the Suoning cave-chief is still with the Yigan family. If he borrows troops from the Yigan cave-chief and attacks — that would be a problem.”

Zhù Ying said, “Once we’ve put things in order here, we head back.”

Su Feihu stood up. “I’ll go get ready!”

Su Mingluan said her farewells to Zhù Ying and hurried to catch up with Su Feihu. “Brother, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

Su Feihu said, “What is it?”

Su Mingluan said, “Look at this stronghold — is it livable?”

Su Feihu seemed to sense something. “You—”

Su Mingluan said, “Godfather gave this place to us. I was thinking — this is also a large stronghold. It ought to be comfortable enough for you to live in, shouldn’t it?”

Su Feihu said, “Is it really for me?”

Su Mingluan said, “You have to agree to my conditions.”

“Go ahead.”

“You serve as Chief Secretary for only three years. When those three years are up and you come back, you cannot change anything here in this stronghold. No more putting slaves in shackles, no more human sacrifice, no more cutting off people’s hands and feet at will.”

Su Feihu said, “Releasing slaves like this isn’t good.”

“We promised not to shackle them, to give them food to eat — and that’s why they won’t help the Suoning family. We have to honor our word. If we treat them too harshly, the next person to come along and say ‘kill us and you’ll live well’ — we’d be as good as dead.” Su Mingluan said this with grave seriousness.

These words Su Feihu took in. He weighed it all carefully. Then, in a low voice: “Agreed. So Godfather’s intention is…”

“Godfather’s way is very good,” Su Mingluan said. “Something our family has failed to accomplish for generations — she’s done it now. Godfather has always been kind to slaves — it isn’t aimed at us. She doesn’t mean to let slaves ride over our heads, either.”

Su Feihu said, “All right.”

The Asu siblings settled matters privately. Su Mingluan would send people to assist Su Feihu in managing the stronghold. When Su Feihu returned from the city in future, this would be his home — and this territory was all still Asu County, with no Suoning family left in it.

The following day, Zhù Ying mustered her forces and turned back toward the mountain estate.

Su Mingluan left people in place to take over the main stronghold, and then accompanied Su Feihu in following Zhù Ying north. Su Feihu, now the owner of his own stronghold, had recovered some of his vitality and looked around with a more spirited air. “Godfather seems to have more people now?”

Zhù Ying laughed. “That’s right.” With each stronghold she passed through, she had selected a portion of the able-bodied to follow her into the next. Rolling like a snowball from one stronghold to the next, she had arrived at the main stronghold with this swollen retinue, and now headed north from the main stronghold with them in tow.

The return journey was very smooth. People from the strongholds along the way came out to see them off; food and lodging were provided all along the route. Most of the strongholds had abundant grain stores. Zhù Ying tallied the inventory, appointed stewards to manage each stronghold in the interim, and selected a number of quick-witted young people from each stronghold — to be gradually taught some basic courses, enough at minimum to be literate. She planned to move the families of the stewards in batches to live inside the mountain estate, and to manage affairs gradually, just as she had done in Fulu County years before. One plan after another was rolled out and set in motion, with clear priorities and layers.

She also relocated people from the strongholds who had no land or too little land to the area near the mountain estate to open wasteland, and the mountain estate’s population was substantially strengthened.

Both Su Mingluan and Xiang Le remained at Zhù Ying’s side, watching her assign one task after another — everything handled with orderly efficiency. Both felt they had learned a great deal. The mountain estate’s residents were dealing with Zhù Ying this directly for the first time. Their own efforts were not reduced, yet their effectiveness increased many times over.

Xiang Le thought to himself: I can keep things going when I’m managing. But compared to the prefect, I’m nowhere near her level.

Seeing Su Mingluan lingering around Zhù Ying at every turn, Godfather’s “other child” Lang Kunwu could not sit still and squeezed his way in to join.

They had been at this without pause for several days. On the fifth day, Xi Jin and Lu Guo came running over.

Su Mingluan had been staying close to Zhù Ying, trying to get her hands on some tasks and learn something. Previously at Fulu County, though nominally a student, she had mostly been learning “culture.” Now, observing Zhù Ying handle affairs in practice, she gained a different kind of insight.

Su Feihu had little interest in this side of things — mainly because he couldn’t keep up with the others. He took his sons outside to drill. He happened to encounter his uncle Lu Guo arriving, and brought his uncle along. Xi Jin also rode along and arrived at the front hall of the mountain estate’s main house — the outer room of what served as a “signing room.”

Su Feihu said, “I’ll go in and let Godfather know. Uncle, please wait outside.”

Lu Guo said, “You go, you go.”

Su Feihu went in. Shortly after, he came back out. “Godfather will be out in a moment.”

Zhù Ying finished the matter at hand in a few strokes of the brush, then came out with Su Mingluan and Lang Kunwu, as amiable as ever. “You two have come just in time — the market still has two more days before it closes.”

The two men thought back to the sight of the Suoning cave-chief’s head they had passed on their way into the city, and dared no longer take this amiability for granted. Lu Guo said sheepishly, “Little sister didn’t tell me anything either — I could have helped.”

Xi Jin chimed in: “Baodao too.” They offered their congratulations to Zhù Ying and had brought cattle, sheep, and gifts to celebrate.

Zhù Ying said, “Before I head back down, shall we all have a proper meal together?”

“Yes, yes, uh…”

Zhù Ying said, “Don’t stand outside. Kunwu, invite your father-in-law to come over too. Let’s go inside and talk.”

The Mountain Sparrow’s father-in-law, now all seriousness and propriety himself, came over promptly, greeting everyone formally: “You two missed out! I was with Baodao and County Magistrate Su, following the prefect — and we came away with a very nice gain.”

Zhù Ying watched the two sheepish faces and said, “We still have a long road ahead. There will be plenty of opportunities.”

Xi Jin said, “Right! Plenty of opportunities.”

Zhù Ying turned to the Mountain Sparrow’s father-in-law: “Were your losses made up for satisfactorily?”

The Mountain Sparrow’s father-in-law smiled. “Very nicely indeed.” He and Lang Kunwu had negotiated their terms beforehand — for each of their people who died, one person was to be given in compensation; the injured were also to be compensated at a fixed ratio. The mountain estate side had suffered minimal losses, and Zhù Ying settled the account using the Suoning cave-chief’s personal retinue. The Suoning cave-chief’s retinue were all prime, able-bodied fighters — hand-picked by the Suoning cave-chief himself — and both the father-in-law and son-in-law were very satisfied.

Zhù Ying said, “The capable people gained through this sort of fighting are too costly to acquire. There is an easier approach — are you willing to try it?”

The Mountain Sparrow’s father-in-law said, “Please teach me, Prefect.”

Zhù Ying said, “Remove the slaves’ shackles. Give them land and let them farm.”

A single sentence stunned four people; only Su Mingluan remained seated calmly. Zhù Ying said, “If you want population, two things are necessary: keep people in, and keep them alive. How do you keep them? How do you keep them alive? We have a saying: those who have no permanent property have no steadfast heart. If a person has no roots in a place, they turn around and leave. You have to give people something to stay for…”

She slowly explained to the Mountain Sparrow’s father-in-law: “It isn’t letting the slaves run loose — it’s changing their status so they’ll stay.”

Having seen things in the lowlands, this was not particularly difficult to grasp. Though one always talked about the lowlanders being “soft,” they did admittedly manage to live a bit better. And the lowlander standing before them right now was not soft at all — and her heart was truly ruthless.

Zhù Ying added, “When you are doing well, people from elsewhere will naturally come to you. We agreed on a seven-year covenant among ourselves, but outside of Wuzhou there’s no such thing. When someone comes to demand your people back, I see that the people are better off with you than anywhere else — and I’d be unwilling to order a forced return anyway. Look at things here with me.”

The group exchanged glances. Lang Kunwu was the first to say, “I’d actually be willing to try — but we’d need to start with people we trust.”

Zhù Ying nodded. “That’s your own affair — use your own judgment.”

The other three also agreed. Zhù Ying said, “Then let’s formalize the compact.”

Settling this compact was far easier than the last time. Corporal punishment and human sacrifice had already been abolished. The previously agreed-upon articles were confirmed. With the Suoning family’s territory now divided, there were adjustments to everyone’s landholdings. Zhù Ying redrew the territorial boundaries with all five families. From this point on, there were six powers in the mountains, though on the court’s records, Zhù Ying’s territory did not officially exist.

They also agreed not to wage war against one another, and that if disputes arose they were to be resolved through proper discussion. Su Mingluan was first to say, “I ask Godfather to be the arbitrator.” In a simple headcount she was at a disadvantage, but if Zhù Ying’s word carried weight — that would benefit her.

Zhù Ying said, “If everyone trusts me, come to this mountain estate and I will analyze the situation for everyone. Think of the past few years — have I done anything unreasonable?”

The men looked at each other and all nodded.

Zhù Ying said, “Then let us draft the compact and sign it with our names and marks.”

Lang Kunwu had already learned many characters and signed his own name. Su Mingluan signed with a flowing flourish. The other three could only write their names.

The six signed the compact on the spot. Zhù Ying said with a smile, “From this day forward, within the boundaries of Wuzhou, any bandits and robbers shall be struck down by all six parties together!”

Once the compact was established, Zhù Ying had to return down the mountain. All five families headed back to their own homes. Zhù Ying left Xiang Le on the mountain as before, and took Lingdang with her down the mountain.

Setting out on the return journey, the merchants’ spirits were entirely different from when they had come. They talked and laughed, imagining the safe trade roads of the future. Zhù Ying’s mood was also good. She liked smart children — and a child like this she could teach.

Lingdang was learning language quickly. She had already picked up some simple vocabulary — things like “eat,” “sleep,” “table and chairs.” Zhù Ying wasn’t idle on the road either, and began teaching her a little arithmetic.

They came out through Asu County. Commandant Mei had already been waiting there for quite some time and was thoroughly impatient. He hadn’t dared to enter the mountains, fearing a large contingent going in would cause misunderstandings. While Zhù Ying was in the mountains, she had sent him only two messages reporting her safety, the last of which was now five days old.

Seeing Zhù Ying, Commandant Mei couldn’t help sighing, “At last you’re back!”

Zhù Ying said, “I told you everything was fine.”

“If everything was fine, why did you stay this many extra days?”

Zhù Ying said, “Things have been more or less taken care of. There are some loose ends — but those are things they can handle.”

“That’s a relief. Oh — do you have anything nice to bring back?”

The Suoning family actually had silver deposits. Zhù Ying took out a portion of the cinnabar that Xi Jin had given her as congratulatory gifts and handed it to Commandant Mei. “Here!”

Commandant Mei returned to camp first to dismiss his troops, then went back to the city of Wuzhou. He had been out here so long that he needed a proper rest at home.

Zhù Ying, together with Hu Shijie and the others, returned to the prefectural seat.

The prefectural seat had also been watching and waiting. Chief Deputy Zhang said, “Prefect, this time you were rather slow coming back.”

“Isn’t that why I have you?”

Chief Deputy Zhang smiled with an air of measured pride.

This time she had been away for a considerably longer period, and there was quite a lot of official business to report. Zhù Ying went first to the inner quarters to see her family, then heard the reports.

Zhang Xiangu had been in a state of anxious suspense for quite some time. The moment she saw her daughter return, she said, “You still know how to come back?! Hm? Who’s this?”

The scolding had barely begun when she caught sight of Lingdang.

Zhù Ying said, “Oh — Lingdang. She’s just learning the official language and doesn’t speak it well yet. Du A’Jie, take her and get her settled for now. She can start by staying with you.”

Su Zhe watched from one side. Seeing Lingdang’s clothing, she could tell she was from the Qixia people. She asked curiously, “Are you from the Suoning family?”

Her tone was entirely matter-of-fact. The Talang family was right there — what was one more Suoning family member?

Lingdang heard the Qixia language and her heart tightened a little. Her experience told her that people who spoke this way were the “master” sort — different from the “Prefect.” Masters usually had the power to hurt her. Her separation from her mother had come about precisely because of the chieftain’s niece — that little girl had said “your voice is lovely, I want to keep listening to it,” and the chieftain had sent her away like gifting away a dog, separating her from her mother. At the other stronghold, the little girl had quickly tired of her, annoyed that Lingdang’s voice was nicer than hers, and sent her off to tend pigs.

She looked at Su Zhe and said with great seriousness, “No, I am not!”

“Then which family are you from?”

Lingdang puffed out her small chest and said, “I am from the Zhù family.”

Zhù Ying laughed. “There is no more Suoning family.”

Su Zhe was greatly astonished. “There’s no more? What does that mean?”

Zhù Ying pointed at Hu Shijie. “Ask your master to tell you.”

She turned away, handed Lingdang over to Du A’Jie, and went back to her room to wash up and change.

Zhang Xiangu and Hua A’Jie naturally followed her in. Zhang Xiangu was saying, “I got distracted just now — why were you so late coming back?”

“Oh, something happened at the mountain estate.”

Zhang Xiangu asked worriedly, “What sort of thing? Don’t tell me it was that Suoning family causing trouble?”

“There is no more Suoning family. They’re gone.”

Hua A’Jie said, “What does that mean?”

“Literally. Finished off.”

The two stood speechless. Zhù Ying added, “By the way — the mountain estate has a few more people now. Next month let’s go there to spend the summer, and really live there properly for two or three months. I can come back down for official business when needed.”

Hua A’Jie said, “A few more people?”

“About a thousand households or so.”

Hua A’Jie gripped the armrest of the chair and sat down. “You…”

“My heart can finally be at ease. Those before — none of them were really mine. One word from the court and they could be taken away. Now it’s different. I think I understand at last what it means that the people are the foundation of the nation. Before, I couldn’t have said this within earshot of Zhang Xiangu. Now I can — the hardest thing, I’ve done it!”

Even if the court were to strip her of her post, as long as she still drew breath and could return to the mountain estate, she could still live. She could now work with her hands untied!

Hua A’Jie asked, “The people — the court… it doesn’t count as hidden subjects…”

“Of course I didn’t tell the court. This is tethered-county territory — can you call it ‘hidden’? If I reported everything, I’d have to be a cormorant on a fisherman’s line. I’m no cormorant.”