At this point Lin Balang was still in Fulu County. Even if Zhù Ying’s runner traveled without stopping, he could not arrive in the prefecture city before the following evening. After dispatching the runner to Fulu, Zhù Ying set him aside for the moment and summoned Su Feihu and the others.

Su Feihu had no idea what was wanted of him. He had stopped managing affairs at the Asu family village, and at the prefectural office there was nothing for him to manage either. Being suddenly summoned was unexpected. Behind him came Lin Miao — Lin Miao’s situation was slightly better. He was the younger brother and from the very start had never managed to outshine his brother; he had spent a long stretch serving as the elder brother’s assistant. Also present was Chou Wen, who had already reported on the academy’s affairs and could not guess why he was being called over.

Zhù Ying waited until all three were assembled, then stated her purpose: she wanted each of them to dispatch people back to their villages to deliver word that she had returned. Spring planting was nearly complete, and at the beginning of the fourth month she would lead a trading party into the mountain.

After conveying the arrangement, she commended Su Feihu and Lin Miao: “The two of you leading your people into the mountain — that was well done. Deputy Administrator Zhang is not directly familiar with conditions in the mountain, and he also needed to avoid any suspicion by not doing things that would raise eyebrows. Without someone to lead the way, the merchants would have been at a loss. That you thought to do this is commendable.”

Su Feihu felt a little embarrassed. Initially, it was out of idleness, and also because he missed that new village of his in the mountain. He let it show slightly, and everyone at home was supportive — Su Mingluan had made no effort to conceal her delight. Lin Miao’s manner was far more straightforward. His was not a hereditary county magistrate’s post like his brother’s — this chief historian position was not something he could simply keep, and he needed to make something of these three years, so that when he stepped down he would have more bargaining chips in hand. Chou Wen was the most straightforward of all. He had no desire to return to the mountain. He went back, passed the word to Wolf Elder and the others, and that was that.

Zhù Ying also said: when delivering the message, tell Su Mingluan and Lang Kunwu to let Xijin and Lu Guo’s families know as well.

The three received their instructions and each went to make their own arrangements.

Zhù Ying was in no hurry. She then summoned Xiao Jiang and Jiang Zhou.

Both were officials of the prefectural office and came without delay. On Zhù Ying’s desk lay the case file Judicial Commissioner Li had passed along — the case in which Jiang Zhou had identified the fugitive.

From the moment the two of them stepped into the signing room, Zhù Ying had been observing them. Although she was called “Xiao Jiang,” she was in fact the same age as Huajie — both were several years older than Zhù Ying. Both women were approaching forty, with a touch of time’s marking on their faces. When the two of them arrived, they first paid their respects.

Zhù Ying pointed to the case file on the desk and asked Jiang Zhou: “How did you tell he was a fugitive?”

“Something did not seem right,” Jiang Zhou said. “He acted throughout as if he had been through a trial before. There are things that only those who have gone through the official process know. Even in a decent yamen, ordinary people are generally afraid. But he seemed to know exactly what was coming next.”

Once suspicion was aroused, investigating became much more straightforward.

Zhù Ying nodded, then asked the two of them about the cases over these past months and inquired about the state of public order within Wuzhou city.

Xiao Jiang said: “There are more incidents than before. One cup of rice feeds a hundred different kinds of people — more people means more variety of character. It is not that Wuzhou has grown worse. For now we can still cope. People in the city have also started to be more careful.”

Zhù Ying said: “Good.”

Then she reached into her desk drawer and produced two boxes: “Come — these are gifts for your children.”

Neither Xiao Jiang nor Jiang Zhou refused. They stepped forward and took the boxes. The moment they held them, they felt the weight — solid and substantial. Both gave a small bow and thanked Zhù Ying on their children’s behalf. Xiao Jiang said: “They are still very small — they cry and fuss. Once they are a bit older, I will bring them to pay their respects to you.”

Zhù Ying said: “There is no hurry. You have both been coming to work, so who is looking after the children at home?”

“We hired two wet nurses,” Xiao Jiang said.

Zhù Ying quickly calculated in her head. With what these two earned in salary, plus the cost of hiring — two wet nurses, at that — plus raising two children, they would have very little left to save.

She made no comment. She only said: “Since you have taken these children in, it is the children’s fate to have found you. If you ever need to take time off because of family matters, you may — but not too frequently, and not at the expense of your duties.”

“Yes.”

Zhù Ying waved them away, and the two took their leave.

Zhù Ying then worked through another batch of accumulated documents. Next she drafted an official order strictly forbidding the occupation of farmland for sugar workshop construction. Any newly occupied land would require official approval; otherwise the original state must be restored, with added penalties. She also issued documents to each county requiring them to safeguard arable land — no existing farmland was to be converted to any other purpose.

These done, midday had arrived.

After the midday meal, Zhù Ying took a brief rest. She did not hold class for the students that day, giving them a day off, and would resume the following day. This arrangement suited the students perfectly. Su Zhe took the opportunity to ask: “Grandfather, I would like to take a few days’ leave.”

“Homesick?”

Lang Rui also raised his hand: “Grandfather, I too…”

Zhù Lian had not planned to ask for leave, but with both fellow students doing so, he felt there was not much point in having the teacher give class for him alone. The prefect was extremely busy.

Zhù Ying said: “Take today to rest first. I have already sent word to your parents. When you go home, wait until they send someone to escort you.”

The two cheered. Zhù Ying said to Zhù Lian: “You too take today off. Go and play with A’Yu. At your age, there should be time for some play.”

Zhù Lian obediently agreed.

With the three of them off to enjoy themselves, Zhù Ying returned to her room to change clothes. Taking no one with her, she slipped quietly out through the back gate and went for a stroll on the street.

——

Her steps were unhurried, and her whole person had relaxed. At this point the streets of Wuzhou city were noticeably more crowded — some of the newcomers could be identified at a glance as outsiders.

At first, no one recognized her. She had also walked the streets before, but since becoming prefect, she had gone out somewhat less. Walking the streets again, she grew more comfortable with each passing moment. No attendants, no guards — only herself — and it felt like returning to the old days. She preferred this state. Only like this did she feel truly settled in her heart.

Walking and pausing, she stopped at the base of a wall. Sitting against the wall in the sunlight was a blind old woman. She was “blind” because Zhù Ying remembered her — they had met before, and she had once given the old woman sugar to eat. Afterwards, whenever the old woman happened to see her, she would without fail bow in greeting.

Zhù Ying looked at the crooked walking stick beside the old woman, tucked the hem of her robe into her waistband, and crouched down beside her.

The old woman felt someone nearby and turned her pair of sightless eyes in that direction. Zhù Ying looked at those two clouded eyes — the color had grown even more different from a young person’s.

The old woman was very thin. Her voice was weak: “Who is it?”

Zhù Ying passed a hand in front of her face. The old woman did not react. Zhù Ying said: “It is me.”

“That sounds somewhat familiar.”

Zhù Ying said: “Shall I say a few more words so you can listen?”

“My lord?” The old woman immediately began to kneel.

Zhù Ying caught her at once and helped her stay seated: “You are past seventy — you need not bow so deeply. Sit down and let us have a little chat. When they see me, the moment they recognize me, the conversation is no longer as interesting. You cannot see me either — so let us pretend you are dreaming, and speak your heart to me freely.”

The old woman showed her teeth in a grin: “Even if I could see, I would still speak my heart. Speaking one’s heart to you gets results — so people will say it. If telling the truth only brought a beating, no one would say anything.”

Zhù Ying also smiled: “Your eyes…?”

“They wore out. Old age.” The old woman said.

Zhù Ying said: “You have grown thin. Are you ill?” She did not ask why the old woman was sitting here alone — the old woman’s circumstances were not wealthy. There would be no spare person to stay home and look after her. Everyone had to work to put food on the table.

The old woman said: “No, no — it is just…”

As she spoke, her stomach let out a small rumbling sound. Zhù Ying reached into her bag and pulled out a stick of hard candy. She peeled back the wrapper and placed it in the old woman’s hand, then guided her hand so that the sweet ball of candy was brought to her lips: “Candy. Have a taste.”

The old woman took the sweetness into her mouth. She sniffled, her voice a little hoarse: “I am sorry — I have been greedy.”

“It is I who failed to look after you. Forgive me.”

“It is not your fault…”

Zhù Ying said: “First take the edge off, and I will treat you to a meal in a moment.”

The old woman said softly: “It is not your fault, my lord. This old woman has no such fortune…” She was still holding the candy in her mouth, sucking at it. She wanted to stop, but her lips and tongue seemed to have a will of their own and would not let it go.

Zhù Ying said: “We are in no hurry — take it slowly. I am in no rush.”

The old woman had very few teeth remaining and could not quickly chew and swallow. She was extremely anxious. When at last a portion of the candy had dissolved, she hurried to speak: “My lord, you need not concern yourself with me. I…”

Zhù Ying said: “Has your family run out of rice? Why? Has someone been troubling your family? Or has someone in the household been drinking and gambling?”

The old woman said quickly: “No, no! We were getting by well enough. Then we had to feed two more mouths, and my eyes have been failing me.”

Her household was not small. She had once been able to supplement the family’s income with needlework. But that very needlework meant working late into the night — and the family could not afford lamp oil, so she used certain makeshift methods that strained the eyes. Over long years of accumulation, from youth to old age, her vision had grown worse and worse, until one day she could see nothing at all. A hard life in her youth had weakened her constitution. By old age, with her eyes gone, she could no longer manage anything else.

“It is all thanks to you, my lord — the taxes are light. The family has a bit more rice, so there is still a mouthful left for this old waste. Otherwise we would have all starved long ago.” She said this with deep feeling.

She also mentioned that her daughter-in-law and eldest granddaughter now worked at the sugar workshop and brought in another income. But early in the year the daughter-in-law had given birth to twins — two more mouths at once — and the mother herself was temporarily unable to return to work while recovering from childbirth.

“A blind old woman — one bowl of rice a day is enough. I cannot work or move about — I eat less. I can endure. If I were a few years younger, even blind I could learn to cook.”

Zhù Ying sighed: “I have failed to see to this.”

Zhù Ying addressed a passing vendor selling cakes and rice puffs: “What are your prices?”

The vendor was not sure whether to recognize her. He leaned forward a few steps and saw it was her. He hurried forward and knelt: “My lord! Two coins per piece! That is the true price — there are many buyers, so it has gone up a little from before. If you are buying a lot, I can give you two for three coins.”

Zhù Ying said: “Come and help the grandmother to her feet. We will find a tea stall to sit at — I will settle the bill with you.”

She found a tea stall, had the proprietor bring a bowl of sweet water, bought the rice puffs, and treated the old grandmother to a meal — then paid the vendor. The vendor accepted the money and pushed further: “These two have filling inside. My lord, shall I wrap some more up for you?”

Zhù Ying bought two more varieties and set them all before the old woman: “Eat slowly. Eating too fast will cause indigestion. In a moment I will have someone see you home. Do not be anxious about your family — if there is difficulty, I will find a way. Tell them to come to me.”

The old woman ate two rice puffs and stopped, wiping at her eyes haphazardly: “Yes, yes.”

Zhù Ying then put a handful of coins into her hand: “Hold on to this.” She also had some rice puffs wrapped up to take along. She looked up and saw Sister Hu racing over with two guards as if the building were on fire, with a cluster of runners pressing hats to their heads and sprinting behind her — they had finally gotten word.

Zhù Ying dispatched the runners to escort the old woman home with the food and money, then smiled at Sister Hu. Sister Hu was not angry — she said: “Are you still going to walk around?”

Zhù Ying looked around at the surrounding streets, stood completely unapologetically, and said: “I am!”

A cheer rose from the crowd.

An outside merchant was quite taken aback and whispered to a local standing next to him: “Is that really the prefect?” To see an official in the normal course of things, one needed either considerable status or a suitably thick gift. What kind of prefect strolled about on the street?

The local said: “Did you not see that vendor still collecting his money? Our prefect has always been this way!”

Zhù Ying continued her stroll, continued to be surrounded by vendors. People also stopped her to speak of family hardship, and others asked her to “pass judgment” on disputes. Zhù Ying had not directly managed such small matters for some time. When people came to her, she did not turn them away, but asked first: “Has your ward head weighed in? What did he say? Have you taken it to the county? How did the county rule on such matters?”

She was not foolish. Common people deserved compassion, but ordinary people had their own cunning too. Using the tiger’s pelt as a great banner was not unheard of. The reason she was welcomed on the street rather than seen as a soft touch who could be taken advantage of was precisely because she also haggled over prices. So vendors gave her honest prices.

Only when curfew was approaching did she return to the prefectural office.

——

Upon her return, Zhang Xiangu asked: “Was there some urgent matter outside? Up front they came rushing in looking like the sky was falling, Sister Hu darted off in a panic, and you were gone a long time.”

Zhù Ying said: “On the street I came across an old woman. She had nothing to eat, so I bought her some rice puffs.”

Zhang Xiangu said: “And her children? Goodness — if there are no children to look after a person in old age…”

“She has children and grandchildren. They are just poor — barely able to feed themselves.”

Zhù Ying slowly described the old woman’s family situation.

Zhang Xiangu said: “Hard lives for the poor.”

Jiang Guafu, standing nearby, said: “With you here in Wuzhou, my lord, life is so much better than it used to be. And this family can still survive. The old grandmother has such a big household — children and grandchildren and all. In past years, either the old would starve to death, or the young would be drowned at birth, or the old and the young would die together.”

She spoke the plain truth. Zhang Xiangu was left speechless. No one in this household had been sheltered and pampered or kept ignorant of the world’s harshness. They had all seen worse things, had lived through worse.

Yes — being able to survive at all was no small matter. And where there is hope, who would kill their own kin?

Now no one had to die anymore. They simply continued on, struggling together.

Zhang Xiangu said: “Oh! Children from poor families grow up quickly. But old people from poor families — they do not get to rest either.”

Poor families had no concept of “living out one’s years in peace.” Old people who could no longer do heavy work still had to watch the grandchildren when the able-bodied went out to the fields — they had to cook meals back at home. The workers ate solid food; the old people ate watery gruel. And if one was an old woman, even more so.

Zhù Ying said: “It cannot be too bitter. I will think of a way.”

“What?”

Zhù Ying said: “Tomorrow I will have them check the household registers. Any registered person over seventy with a disability — give them a monthly distribution of firewood and grain.” The amount needed thought — not too little, but absolutely not too much. Just enough to eat; if the children and grandchildren had any conscience, they would top it up a little and the old person could eat enough. If the family was heartless, they could not steal too much of the old person’s ration — otherwise the old person would starve, and then there would be no more to receive. It was in the family’s interest to keep the old person alive.

Zhang Xiangu pressed her palms together: “That is wonderful! Oh — it will not cost too much, will it?”

“It comes out of the official budget. Monthly — the old person must come to collect it in person. Only living people can collect it. All right, all of you stop hovering. Let us eat.”

The family ate, and Zhù Ying asked Huajie over to the study afterwards.

She asked Huajie: “Is Wu Ren still attending classes?”

“Yes.”

“I am going to the academy tomorrow. If she truly is as capable as you say, the matter of printing your book — hand that over to her.”

“Her? Certainly — that would be wonderful.”

“Then it is settled.”

Huajie said: “When you go to the academy tomorrow, take note — Chou Wen may want to have a word with you.”

“Oh?”

Huajie smiled: “A gentleman does not stand beneath a dangerous wall. A prefect may stroll the street, but not without an escort.”

“How did he know? Was he not at the academy today? I gave A’Fa the day off — he does not need to come to the residence.”

“You were recognized in public — what a thing! Word spreads from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred. The only reason the news did not reach the academy until nearly curfew was that it took that long for it to get there. Otherwise he would be standing in front of you right now.”

Zhù Ying said: “With a full escort around me, what can one actually see? I know — the higher the official, the more dangerous it is to move about alone. But I always feel that noble people in the capital, cut off from contact with ordinary people, shut away in their deep palace compounds like high celestials in the ninth heaven — that is far more dangerous! Once the staircase to heaven is broken, divinity and mortality are forever separated. Common people can live without immortals; immortals cannot live without the offerings of common people. My own situation is even more perilous than that of palace nobility. I can afford even less to think myself beyond the common world, with feet that never touch the ground.”

Huajie said: “It is not as if I were going to lecture you! Just take care of yourself.”

“Understood!”

——

The next morning, after the assembly, Zhù Ying kept Deputy Administrator Zhang, Scholar Qi, and a few others behind. They conferred specifically on the matter of distributing grain to elderly people over seventy. Her intention was that regardless of sex — any person registered in the records who had passed seventy years of age and who had a genuine disability — would receive fifty catties per month. Divided over thirty days, that came to less than two catties a day.

Deputy Administrator Zhang had a reasonable sense of the prefectural situation and raised no objection. He said: “One might call this the beginning of Great Harmony!” He was partly flattering her when he said it, but once the words were out, a small, pure flicker of the idealism of his younger years welled up from somewhere inside. This is what serving as an official should look like, Deputy Administrator Zhang thought.

He even added: “What if we also give two ounces of salt each month?”

Zhù Ying said: “Let us give sugar instead. Salt is not within our control, but we do have sugar. If they want to trade it for something else, that is their business.” She turned to the administrative accounts officer: “As for people over seventy — how many are there in the prefecture? Do you have a count?”

Scholar Qi said: “Did you not say over seventy with a disability? Why has it changed to over seventy in general? That would be many more!”

The total number of people over seventy was not enormous, but multiplied by fifty catties, it would be a sizable monthly expenditure. However, if the criterion were only those truly unable to be supported by family — people with complete disabilities — the number would shrink considerably.

Zhù Ying said: “Then we still need a definition. What counts as a disability?”

The three discussed further — primarily Zhù Ying and Deputy Administrator Zhang deliberating. Blind in one eye — that would not count. Both eyes blind — that would count. Missing the left hand — half the amount. Missing the right hand — eighty percent. Both hands gone — the full amount. Paralyzed — eighty percent.

Zhù Ying said: “A person over seventy who has lost both hands is probably unlikely to have survived that long.”

Deputy Administrator Zhang said: “List it anyway, in case.”

“Fair enough.”

Once it was settled, Scholar Qi said: “Then I will wait for you to get me a count before I can prepare the accounts.”

“Agreed.”

It was straightforward enough — send the order down to Nanping, Fulu, and Sicheng counties, have them count by level from the bottom up, then dispatch people to cross-check, to prevent acquaintances from colluding to fraudulently claim the benefit.

Once the documents were issued, Zhù Ying summoned Zhao Zhen and the others: “You have rested enough — time to get back to work!” She dispatched them to assist Xiang An.

Jing Sheng, Fang Sheng, and Wang Sheng felt a slight unease — taking direction from a woman, and a merchant at that, seemed not quite right. Zhao Zhen, on the other hand, had adjusted well. Since his time in Fulu County, there had always been women who were quite prominent around Zhù Ying. He said: “The lord has arranged it, so there must be a reason.”

Xiang An took one look at their expressions and immediately understood. She had seen that kind of look too many times to count. She did not argue. She said: “We are all doing the lord’s business. It is only because I am more familiar with things that I have been asked to take the lead. Some matters in this trade — only insiders know them. Even if the several of you went to ask, people are not acquainted with you and would not tell you anything. I will have people go around first to find things out, then report back to you so you can organize it and present it to the lord.”

The four listened, found it reasonable, and Zhao Zhen said: “Fine — you tell us how to go about it!”

Xiang An divided up the workshops, merchants, and other categories into sections, assigning each of the four a portion to organize. Seeing the assignments were clearly laid out, all four accepted their tasks and resolved to do the work properly.

Zhao Zhen worked through the day, and on his way back to rest he spotted, in the distance, several people racing headlong into the city and making straight for the prefectural office.

What was that about? Zhao Zhen wondered uneasily.

Had he walked a few more steps, he would have seen a familiar face — Lin Balang.

——

At this point Zhù Ying’s runner had arrived in Fulu County the previous day. Lin Weng, upon hearing someone had come looking for Balang, did not dare delay. As soon as it was light, he followed his son and headed back to their home in town.

Lin Weng had been reprimanding his son for lacking ambition for a long time now. Watching everyone else’s family turn out officials, and his own son refusing to see what was right in front of him — Lin Weng was so agitated he said things he would not otherwise have said: “Can a living man be bound by the dead? Just look at this family — this bit of land — is it enough for your brothers to eat? If you refuse to exert yourself, in the future you will be dragging your wife and children around begging for scraps or becoming someone’s bondservants in exchange for food! Or do you fancy becoming someone’s live-in son-in-law? I still have a face to keep!”

Now Zhù Ying had sent for Lin Balang, and Lin Weng was determined to go along no matter what.

He could not wait a moment longer. He seized Lin Balang and rushed to the prefectural office.

Lin Weng’s face was all smiles. Zhù Ying, however, directed her gaze at Lin Balang.

This boy had something rather pitiable about him — a perfectly good county school student, dragged into trouble by his brother-in-law. Zhù Ying intended to send him to Prefect Lu’s territory to establish a new sugar workshop. The Lin family property had been divided, and Lin Balang’s share was not much land — he needed a way to make a living.

Zhù Ying said: “You missed the last opportunity. Now there is another one. Are you willing to go and oversee a new sugar workshop on the pretext of a study tour?”

Lin Weng was startled and quickly said: “My lord! Our family are law-abiding commoners…”

“Take a servant along, and have the servant serve as the public face. I need to entrust this matter to someone I can rely on. If it were a merchant, I would not send him. Precisely because you are not one, you can speak to the local yamen in the capacity of a student.” Zhù Ying said.

This arrangement had another advantage: on Prefect Lu’s side there was Gu Tong. Letting the two classmates liaise with each other would also add a measure of dignity to Gu Tong’s position. Lin Balang would have no dead sister between himself and Prefect Lu. If Prefect Lu came to appreciate Lin Balang, there was an outside chance for Lin Balang to enter official service.

And in the worst case — overseeing a sugar workshop, without even pilfering anything, would still supplement the family income.

Something stirred in Lin Balang’s heart. His classmates had all found their paths forward, and he had watched every one of them. The step being offered now was perfectly crafted — a prefect had already laid the step down to this very point.

Lin Weng, upon hearing the full explanation, urged his son one word at a time.

Lin Balang drew a deep breath and said: “This student is willing.”

He knelt solemnly and bowed twice.