When Zhù Ying arrived home, the sun was still well up in the sky, and the household was busy with stacks of luggage and cases coming in. Both Xiang An and Xiang Le were there, watching over the many boxes and chests piled up in the courtyard.

Zhù Ying strode in. The brother and sister came forward to meet her: “My Lord! The household has sent goods. Vice Prefect Zhang has left a calling card and a gift list, and gifts have been presented.”

Zhù Ying said, “So many? Where is Qingjun?”

Zhù Qingjun slipped out from behind Xiang An. She was dressed in blue clothing with a small cap — the appearance of a page boy. Despite wearing winter clothes, she still looked rather slight and thin, with a red-tipped nose. She had grown noticeably taller since Zhù Ying had last seen her; by count of years, she had reached the age when one begins to shoot up in height. She smiled and stepped forward, her cheeks flushed: “My Lord! My teacher sent me! My teacher told me to listen to you!”

Zhù Ying said, “Come inside and tell me.”

The party went into the hall and sat down. Zhù Ying said, “Get her another hand warmer. Have you eaten?”

Zhù Qingjun smiled and accepted the hand warmer; she sneezed and sniffled, then said, “I have eaten. Everyone at home has been thinking of you. The elder Madam and the elder Sir say there is income coming from the household and ask that you not stint on spending in the capital.”

Zhù Ying stood to hear this out, then sat down before asking, “How are things at home? Why did they send you? What of the others?”

Zhù Qingjun was only about twelve years old, and to have her travel three thousand li was most unusual. When Su Zhe and the others had come to the capital, they had been traveling with Zhù Ying the whole way, with Zhù Ying looking after them and servants attending to their needs. Zhù Qingjun’s situation was clearly different from Su Zhe’s — Zhù Qingjun was not a pampered young miss tended by maids and nursemaids. Judging by her attire and the tone of her words, she had been sent here as a capable adult running an errand, doing the work of escorting and delivering. Though the Xiang Family had helped look after her along the way, this journey would certainly not have been easy.

Zhù Ying was not dismissing the idea that a young girl could manage such a task — she was simply suspicious: “How would A’Jie let you set out on the road like this?”

Zhù Qingjun set the hand warmer down on a small table and took out a letter from inside her clothing: “My teacher wrote everything in this. Er Lang’s family and Third Sister’s family also sent letters along; their household people looked after us on the road. We came along behind Vice Prefect Zhang’s grain boats — nothing went wrong on the road, and it was all very safe.”

Xiang Le said, “Yes — our household letters have already been collected.”

The letter was thick. Zhù Ying opened it and skimmed quickly through, then drew out a sheet and said to Xiang An, “First get the goods put away.”

Back in Wuzhou she had a large property; Zhang Xiangu and Zhù the elder had spent their whole lives finally accumulating this kind of “household estate” and took it very seriously. Knowing that she now had over twenty servants in the capital and spent heavily, with plenty of gifts to send during the New Year’s period as well, they had packed up some money and goods to be sent through a trusted carrier. It so happened that Huajie had something she needed to discuss with Zhù Ying, so she sent the reliable Zhù Qingjun to escort the delivery.

They knew what a capital official’s salary was — enough rice for the household, but money was tight. In addition, there were various Wuzhou specialties and local products packed into quite a few chests, all now piled up in the courtyard.

Xiang An received the order and took people to inventory the goods, putting everything away properly in the house.

Zhù Ying said to Xiang Le and Xiang An, “You have received your household letters — open and read them and see what news there is from home, then think it over. Vice Prefect Zhang will be here shortly; if there is anything you need to entrust to him, get it ready.”

Xiang Le and Xiang An quickly said, “Yes.” Their family situation was not a serious matter, but the fact that Zhù Ying thought to ask was something both of them felt grateful for in their hearts. They exchanged a glance and went to one side to discuss things.

Zhù Ying said to Zhù Qingjun, “Come with me.”

The two went to the study. Zhù Ying read the letter carefully all the way through, and as she read her expression gradually became blank. When she finished she set the letter aside and asked about the situation in Wuzhou: “Is things not going so well at home? Tell me in detail.”

Huajie’s letter explained why she had sent Zhù Qingjun: the estate needed Hou Wu and Du A’Jie, and the other people didn’t know the road to the capital well. Huajie herself held an official position and could not leave.

But of course, the main reason was that things had taken a turn for the worse, and there had to be a trustworthy, sharp-minded person to deliver this letter, someone who was also quick and articulate. This girl, though young, had her head in the right place and a good heart. Her spoken official tongue was now also fluent. Huajie had no one more suitable to send, so she had sent her.

Moreover, Huajie felt that Zhù Qingjun would learn far more at Zhù Ying’s side than she could learn staying with Huajie. “A child of ordinary gifts following me to learn a little medicine could be counted as my doing a good deed. But Qingjun would be wasted if she only followed me — she should not learn from me. She has real ability; she ought to be like you. She is no worse than any man. It was you who brought her into this world to begin with; I now return her to you. Give her a fitting set of clothes and teach her to be like you. She will not be worse than any man — do not raise her to be as useless as I am.”

The current situation in Wuzhou was that everyone was unhappy. As for Huajie: in the past she only needed to run the foreign-peoples’ school with dedication, offer charitable medical consultations, teach her students well, alleviate people’s illnesses and suffering, and look after Zhù Ying’s household — busy, but full and purposeful. Now things were different; she had to learn the art of navigating internal intrigues. The Prefectural Governor’s office, perhaps to avoid the appearance of partiality or for some other reason, had essentially become blind to female officials and female clerks; even hearing a scrap of news required maneuvering and careful enquiry. Huajie was still stationed at the foreign-peoples’ school; Xiao Jiang was at the Prefectural Governor’s office every day, and her days were harder still.

Zhang Xiangu had hesitated for a long while before consulting with Huajie and deciding to formally take Xiao Jiang in as another “foster daughter,” offering her at least a little protection. Zhang Xiangu asked Huajie to write out the full account of the circumstances, and also sent word through her: if life down below the mountain truly became unlivable, could she let those women come up the mountain to live instead?

Zhù Family Manor’s situation was somewhat better than elsewhere — it was Zhù Ying’s property, and the new Governor had little basis for saying much about it. Zhù the elder and Zhang Xiangu were holding up reasonably well in their health; apart from Zhù the elder’s old injuries acting up periodically, life was still manageable. But seeing Huajie’s foreign-peoples’ school running into difficulties left both of them in poor spirits. Zhù the elder had even asked Huajie whether she could come back to the estate and open a school there instead — she should just stop working for that wretched Governor; let’s see if his school can still keep going without her!

Then there was Wuren: she had originally intended to seek a position, but unfortunately the new Governor had a young attendant who took a liking to her and wanted to take her as a wife. Wuren didn’t hesitate at all — she brought up the matter of their birth-year compatibility. The new Governor heard about it and let the matter drop. She thought it was over, but the other party turned out to be equally direct about it: if marriage was out of the question then they needn’t marry, they could just live together for now. In desperation, Wang Fuqu went to Huajie for help, and Huajie suggested that Wuren go live at the estate. That was how Wuren was protected.

The second issue was the “social customs” of the inner three counties. The new Governor felt that not everything could revolve around “making money” — what was needed was “simple, honest folk customs.” Too many merchants made a place restless and unsettled, which was undesirable. He was not as courteous to merchants as Zhù Ying had been; he regulated them strictly, particularly regarding sugar. Sugar was one of Wuzhou’s major industries and was growing larger by the year; he kept a close watch on this tax source, eager to get his hands into every aspect of it from top to bottom. He reprimanded and punished at the slightest excuse, yet when merchants actually needed his protection he would declare it was the merchants’ own fault for stirring up trouble and refused to intervene. Outside merchants coming to buy goods consequently found it inconvenient. And because of this inclination, the local officials in his employ also pressed harder on merchants; the merchants became unhappy. Since most sugar operations were tied to local gentry households, the gentry were not pleased either.

He was also bearing down hard on the official school. In principle this was a good thing. But his style was quite different from Zhù Ying’s — Zhù Ying had relied on constant examinations and selections to keep standards high. This new official’s hand was somewhat laxer on this front, and children from gentry families who had not been qualified were admitted by him again. The quality of the official school dropped.

The third issue concerned the outer five counties. The new Governor was, for reasons unknown, extremely interested in the outer five counties and proposed taking a tour inside the mountains. But as ill luck would have it, he encountered heavy summer rains, and a landslide blocked the road — which still had not been repaired to this day. One could estimate it would probably never be repaired in his lifetime. Once the road could not be repaired, trade was affected. The new Governor then selected several merchants to go into the mountains; halfway there they were chased by wolves across eight mountain ridges and never dared enter again. Captain Mei was so furious he rained down curses.

Zhù Qingjun had come with a task — Zhù Ying asked and she answered: “The new Governor is not good. He has no regard for people at all. I watched him twice with my teacher at the Governor’s Office — he always speaks around us as though we are not there. He does not listen when Jiang Niangzi speaks either. Whenever women speak, he smiles as though he finds it laughable. Oh, there’s also the foreign-peoples’ school — Su Family’s youngest girl was upset too.”

“Her? What has happened to her?”

Zhù Qingjun said, “The new Governor again said the foreign-peoples’ school curriculum is too shallow and that they must take up reading the sages’ books. He also said teaching medicine in the foreign-peoples’ school is a waste — he had never heard of opening a separate clinic to let only girls study it; men can learn women’s medicine too, there is no need to restrict enrollment to girls only; male physicians have always done fine, and all good physicians are men. Girls also should not be studying in such a fashion — there has never been a school that takes in female students, and having female students means a separate dormitory must be built just for them; if there were no female students, there would be none of these complications. He also told Su Family’s youngest girl to ‘show some sense’ — if she would persuade the Asu county to register as proper subjects, he would permit the Su girl to continue her studies. Su Family’s youngest girl went home in a fury. If the Asu clan had not had their own matters to attend to, she would have come straight to the capital to find you herself.”

Zhù Ying also asked about Wuren’s situation. Zhù Qingjun said, “Her family was very angry — Wang Niangzi cried for a long time and stopped going to the foreign-peoples’ school too. Meng Niangzi also left — her own household affairs were piling up and she could not manage it all. “

“Her son — is he not capable enough to take over?”

Zhù Qingjun said, “The new Governor is always fond of checking whether the streets are orderly and whether there are any infractions of the law. When he checks, the people below use it as an excuse to find fault every few days. Meng Niangzi had no choice but to go back to help manage her own family’s affairs. Both of those women worked so hard — what a pity.”

The child had finally found a parent to go to with her grievances. Zhù Qingjun had told so much, and in the end she could not help saying, “Since I ran away from the mountain village, I have never been made to feel so wronged.”

Zhù Ying then asked about the situation in the mountains: “Can trade still be conducted?”

“It has grown more difficult. The traffic of visitors to our manor has also decreased a little. But everyone is occupied with their own tasks — opening more farmland, growing crops — it is not much worse than before. Others have it harder. Su Family’s youngest girl says the new Governor is doing this deliberately, trying to cut off trade and starve the outer five counties into submission. They refuse to let him have his way!”

Zhù Ying heard everything through, then finally said, “I understand it all now. Go and rest for now. A’Yin, take Qingjun to rest. Find her two changes of clothes — this outfit is still too thin. If the household doesn’t have anything suitable, go outside and either buy something or have something made.”

Zhù Yin and Zhù Qingjun knew each other and happily took Zhù Qingjun off to get settled: “My Lord — the Xiang Family people are being arranged by Third Lady; what about our own household people — are they to be housed in the residence?”

Zhù Ying said, “You handle it.”

“Yes!”

Zhù Qingjun also performed a bow to Hu Shijie, then left together with Zhù Yin. Hu Shijie had sat listening to all of this, and her own heart was not at ease. When Zhù Ying had been in Wuzhou, life had visibly been getting better; now this…

She said quietly, “My Lord — what is to be done now?”

Zhù Ying said, “Nothing to do about it for now! Go call those people in — I need to ask a few more questions.” Zhù Qingjun was a clever child, but her age limited her, and living at Huajie’s side meant the people she came into contact with were not that many. Zhù Ying needed to question the people who had come along to escort the goods — they lived harder lives and had seen more of the ordinary folk.

Before long, the people who had come to escort the goods also came in. Zhù Ying questioned each of them and found that what they said was much the same as Zhù Qingjun’s account — ordinary people’s lives were even a degree worse. “Being under the elder Sir and elder Madam is still better off — those without a backer to lean on have an even harder time. Before, the street officials and runners were still polite enough; now they’re not hitting anyone, but they’re not courteous either — very dismissive. The newcomers are even worse, looking down their noses at everything. The levies and taxes have also gone up. You can’t really blame the runners and officials for not wanting to do their jobs either — a lot of their operating expenses were cut. They’ve lost the will. So they just take it out on the common people.”

Zhù Ying sent them off to eat and rest, and additionally arranged a set of winter clothing for each of them. One of the people reporting to her knocked his head to the ground in a full prostration: “Seeing you again, my Lord, it is as though I am living like a proper person again. But the people back in Wuzhou — what will become of them?”

Zhù Ying said, “I have heard and understood everything. Go now.” She also asked whether Clerk Qi had returned; if he had, she wanted someone to let him know that tonight he should keep his evening free.

……

She singled out Clerk Qi because Zhang Yun had left a calling card saying he would come to call in the evening. Clerk Qi could serve as a table companion — even if he said nothing and just sat there as a figurehead, that would do.

Clerk Qi came back from the Imperial City and, hearing that Zhù Ying’s household was expecting a guest — Zhang Yun — said, “That can be arranged.” He went to change his clothes and came before Zhù Ying. By then Xiang Le and Xiang An had also returned, and Zhù Lian had also come back from the Zheng Family’s private school.

Zhù Ying and Clerk Qi had barely changed out of their official garments, the dinner arrangements had just been given, when Zhang Yun appeared at the door. Zhù Wen hurried to the hall first and said, “My Lord, Vice Prefect Zhang has brought several people — young scholars all. Among them I recognize one surnamed Zou from the old student days.”

Clerk Qi said, “Good thing there is still enough food in the house.”

Zhù Ying said, “You just eat your fill — others may not have enough but your share will certainly be sufficient.”

Clerk Qi said, “Good.” He had no intention of saying much — wine and food in good supply was perfectly satisfactory.

Zhù Ying said to Zhù Lian, “You and Er Lang go invite the guests in.”

Zhù Lian and Xiang Le accordingly went out. Xiang An asked, “Should I excuse myself?”

“No need,” said Zhù Ying.

When she saw the people approaching closely enough, Zhù Ying rose and went to the entrance to meet Zhang Yun, and in doing so also got a clear look at the people behind him. Four students in appearance — she recognized all of them. But only Zou Jinxian was from the old official school; the other three she recognized because their families were all households of some means and standing in the prefecture, families that Zhù Ying was acquainted with.

Zhang Yun and Zhù Ying exchanged greetings first; the four students, each with a trace of barely concealed excitement, bowed to Zhù Ying. Zhù Ying said, “Come in and sit — we can talk while we eat.”

Her household still had no music or entertainments, but the food and wine were plentiful, filling the table generously.

Host and guests were seated. Zhù Ying first inquired after their long journey, and the group expressed their thanks. Zhù Ying then asked Zhang Yun whether he had already reported in to the relevant offices in the Imperial City. Zhang Yun said, “Already done — but those inside said things are very busy right now and they are not sure when they can see to us.”

Zhù Ying said, “Ah, yes — what with the Eastern Palace and Princess Yongping’s household arranging this betrothal, they are genuinely busy.”

Zhang Yun’s real intention was to ask Zhù Ying to put in a word to help them get through the process more smoothly; but Zhù Ying did not take this bait and simply made easy conversation, first having wine brought for Zhang Yun and the others: “Can you all drink wine? After a long journey, drinking some warm wine to relieve fatigue is good — those who are not accustomed to drinking need not worry, I also have warm milk tea.”

They all said they would drink wine. Zhù Ying had the wine kept warm, then asked a few things about the situation in Wuzhou — what this year’s harvest was like, and what Zhang Yun meant by bringing these four people along, whether they were tribute scholars.

Zhang Yun quickly said, “Precisely. Zou Jinxian, though from the official school, is also an excellent student. The Governor accordingly selected these four and sent me to travel with them.”

Zhang Yun felt that this aspect too required Zhù Ying’s connections to smooth the path. Although each region could send tribute scholars to the capital every year, in varying numbers, it did not mean that scholars recommended by the region were guaranteed an official posting upon arrival. The tribute scholars not only had to sit an examination, they also had to wait in line for a vacancy. Those whose examination answers were too poor risked bringing a reprimand back to the region — the Governor would be questioned for not vetting them properly. Even if they passed, it only meant they had a qualification to be an official; how long before they actually got a substantive posting was uncertain, and they had to work their own connections. As a result, quite a few tribute scholars accumulated in the capital in a state of limbo.

But things were different with Zhù Ying — everyone she had brought out could be guaranteed an official post. There was absolutely no need to queue and wait for a vacancy.

Zhù Ying still did not take this bait and kept to easy conversation, asking about Wuzhou’s situation and drawing out a few words from the students. She already knew Zou Jinxian’s background; the other three had previously been not particularly distinguished in their studies, and now that they had become “tribute scholars,” she wanted to avoid misjudging them — so she chatted and tested them a little. A few probing questions later, she found they had not advanced much from before. Their clothing also had the look of ordinary students. So she asked, “Were you also enrolled into the official school to fill a vacancy?”

One of the students answered, “Yes — after Your Lordship’s promotion and departure, several spaces opened in the official school. The new Governor reviewed the registers and ordered us students enrolled to fill the gaps.”

Naturally — they had not tested in.

Zhù Ying gestured to the attendants below: “Why have you stopped refilling their cups?” While watching the students drink down another half pot, she worked in a few questions about conditions at the school. She spoke in an entirely amicable tone; she was deliberately drawing out information. How could these students have experienced her techniques? By a pot and a half in, their mouths had no more guardians posted at the door, their tongues grew a little thick, and they let slip one matter: “Everything else is fine, except the foreign-peoples’ school students are rather tiresome.”

“Oh? How so?”

The students talked over one another: “Barbarian origins and still so arrogant — what could they possibly have to be arrogant about! We had a fight with them, and the Governor reprimanded everyone.”

Zhang Yun quickly said, “The Governor did not take either side — he punished both parties. Some of the students from the foreign-peoples’ school will eventually take over their fathers’ and elder brothers’ roles as county officials — it is only natural they would have some wildness to them. The Governor is the same at heart as Your Lordship — he also cherishes all who live within his governance.”

Zhù Ying asked with a smile, “And who won the fight?”

The students all said, “We did not come off badly — and they did not gain the upper hand either.”

Zhù Ying laughed out loud: “Winning a fight has to come from your own abilities. Still, you ought to have some dignity in your ordinary dealings!”

Zou Jinxian, having found little opportunity up to this point to display his talents, now said, “At the time, Your Lordship was managing Wuzhou and it was merely an expedient measure — a matter of pacifying and winning them over by accommodation. Now that the foundations have taken shape, it is time to ‘correct the disorder and restore proper order.'”

Clerk Qi cleared his throat and poured himself a cup. Zhang Yun glanced over at him; he raised the cup toward Zhang Yun in an awkward gesture, and Zhang Yun, equally embarrassed, picked up his own empty cup and managed what seemed like a toast — pretending there was wine in it — and mimed draining it.

Zhù Ying said, “Do not drink so fast — if you get drunk, there is important business tomorrow. There is no early morning court nowadays, so there is no need to rush before dawn — just head to the Ministry of Personnel and Ministry of Revenue at a reasonable hour and take a number.”

Zhang Yun quickly said, “I fear the wait may be too long — might Your Lordship be able to put in a good word?”

“The Ministry of Personnel’s affairs are not something I should interfere in; but as it happens, there is also business between the Court of Dependencies and the Ministry of Revenue, and I can nudge them to move your case up in the queue. That is something I can do.”

Zhang Yun expressed more thanks.

Zhù Ying pointed to Zou Jinxian and the other three: “Since you are tribute scholars, once you have arrived in the capital, study your books carefully in preparation for the examination — do not embarrass your Governor. Vice Prefect, when you have leisure time, do come around to the house.”

Zhang Yun understood what was left unspoken.

When the meal was done, the sky was already late. Zhù Ying had no travel permit to hand out to them, so she left them all staying in the guest rooms. Zhang Yun had something on his mind; seeing that the students had all settled into their rooms, he beckoned to a servant outside and pressed a red envelope into his hand: “Please convey to your Lord that I have a matter to request an audience about.”

The servant accepted the red envelope, then slipped out of the courtyard and was back again very quickly: “My Lord is in the study — please come in.” He led Zhang Yun to the study, then took out the red envelope, kept half of it for himself, and “donated” the other half, splitting it among his fellows.

In the study, Zhang Yun showed not a trace of intoxication; he was wiping sweat from his brow and said, “My Lord, please forgive the uninformed young man for his drunken words…”

Zhù Ying waved a hand: “How is Wuzhou, really?”

“More or less.” Zhang Yun said.

“How much is ‘more or less’?” Zhù Ying pressed. “You can see it, even if you haven’t said it — am I right?”

Zhang Yun’s face creased into a pained look: “The Governor cannot be called poor — he is simply not as good as before. And he has his own private ambitions.”

“Oh?”

“He is too eager for advancement. He once said to this subordinate that the Wuzhou Governorship is only a senior fourth rank — not a flattering position to hold.”

In Zhang Yun’s assessment, this Governor was moderately above average in ability — one truly could not call him bad. What Zou Jinxian had said in front of Zhù Ying about “correcting disorder and restoring proper order” was candid to a fault, but looking closely at everything this Governor had done, one could not say he had taken a corrupt path. Prioritizing agriculture over commerce, upholding proper moral norms, clarifying the boundary between the civilized and the barbarian, giving weight to the local gentry — not one of these things could be called wrong.

In Zhang Yun’s view, the greatest fault was this “eagerness for advancement.” The new Governor wanted to achieve the “registration of all subjects” that Zhù Ying had not managed to accomplish; if he pulled this off, Wuzhou could be elevated to a medium-class or at minimum a lower-class prefecture, and he would not need to grind through years of accumulated service — just like Zhù Ying, he could be promoted a rank on the spot. This would also let the officials at the Governor’s office advance in rank alongside him, winning over his subordinates and making them work harder on his behalf.

But as matters stood this evening, it was Zou Jinxian’s “loose words” that were the true taboo offense.

Unexpectedly, Zhù Ying had not shown any displeasure at a single one of these points; instead she asked: “The terms of the Chief Clerk and the Administrative Supervisor should be due for rotation — has the Governor made any memorial to the throne about this?”

Zhang Yun opened his mouth, let out a wry smile, and said, “He is still using that to hold sway over people — how could he have done so?”

Zhù Ying said, “I understand. You go and rest — this is no concern of yours.”

“Yes.”

……

Zhang Yun left with a burden on his mind — he and the Governor were not truly of one heart, so why go so far for the Governor’s sake! Zou Jinxian was not someone he had selected in the first place; putting in a word of apology was more than sufficient. What would Zou Someone’s inability to get through have to do with him? He had done enough.

Over on the other side, Xiang An and Xiang Le had been in a sour mood for quite a while. They knew a fair amount about the situation in Wuzhou. Their family, though they had changed their household registration, still endured a degree of discrimination; fortunately their own family didn’t care about it, but they had still mentioned a few troublesome things. When Zhù Ying was there, everything went smoothly; with the new Governor in place, there were no morning meetings to organize the day’s work, so the days just drifted by in a muddle, doing anything required connections and petitioning, and there was no efficiency to speak of.

The Xiang family still had the trade route with the mountain communities — later, as their business grew larger, this route became less critical, but having it was better than not. And this had also cost them some income.

But none of this could be spoken aloud. Getting Zhù Ying to go back and sort out Wuzhou, or getting the Wuzhou Governor to listen and reform himself — neither was realistic. So this evening they had entrusted nothing to Zhang Yun.

But this did not stop them from going to Zhù Ying afterward to grumble about tonight. Xiang An was particularly upset: “What did he mean by that? What ‘correcting disorder and restoring proper order’?”

“Pulling up the bridge after crossing it,” Zhù Ying said with an air of amusement, not a trace of anger on her face.

Xiang An said, “I’d call it biting the hand that fed you!”

Zhù Ying laughed softly: “See to what Jiaming is doing tomorrow. If she is free, ask her to come and meet Qingjun — it has been a long time since anyone from home has come. Hearing the hometown dialect is a comfort.”

“Yes! But…”

Xiang Le gave his sister a meaningful look. Xiang An had always been the more composed of the two; she was a little agitated tonight.

Zhù Ying added, “Did you not hear what Zou Jinxian said? ‘Correcting disorder and restoring proper order!’ Ha ha!”

“But you cannot just let him run amok! My Lord’s hard work, the blood and sweat of the villagers — that is what made Wuzhou what it is today! To eat the food and curse the cook and then pull down the stove!”

Zhù Ying waved a hand. Xiang An realized she had let herself go too far and lowered her head. Zhù Ying said to Xiang Le, “Tomorrow, go find two people.”

“Might I ask who?”

“The scholarship students at the National Academy. Tell them not to go wandering.”

“Yes.”

“Both of you, go now.”

“Yes.”

Zhù Ying pulled out that stack of letters from home once more and read through them again. She drew out the last few pages — these were written separately by Zhang Xiangu and Zhù the elder. Zhù the elder’s eyesight was beginning to fail; he had only written two pages, with rather large characters, saying all was well at home and he would look after things, she should do her official duties well. Zhang Xiangu had more to say, also saying not to worry about home, and if she couldn’t manage outside she should just come home and live an ordinary life — no need to deal with bad officials from the outside world.

Inside the envelope there was also a smaller envelope. She opened it — it was a letter written by Su Mingluan. The content was simple: the new Governor has gone too far with his bullying; we are about to take action, and I am letting you know first.

Zhù Ying let out a quiet sigh.

……

The following morning, Zhù Ying had to go to the Court of Dependencies to report for duty. Zhang Yun and the others were also up early. Zou Jinxian and the others were heading to the scholars’ guesthouse to rest; Zhang Yun also needed to go and take a number in the queue.

Zhù Ying said, “Vice Prefect, you need not go today — they will certainly not have time to attend to things today. I will speak to them, and tomorrow you can go and check the accounts with the Ministry of Revenue people.”

Zhang Yun hurriedly expressed his thanks.

Zhù Ying had them stay for breakfast, then left the house together with them. Xiang Le and Xiang An also set out on their respective errands per her instructions.

At the Court of Dependencies, everyone was still in a state of excitement. Luo Sheng was a decent superior; if he did well, people would have one more connection to turn to when they needed something in the future.

Zhù Ying called over the Chief Liaison Officer: “Was there anything else from the Eastern Palace yesterday?”

The Chief Liaison Officer quickly said, “Nothing — nothing from the Ministry of Rites either.”

Zhù Ying said, “We are entering envoy negotiations soon — do we have enough people?”

The Chief Liaison Officer said, “When you arranged the Liaison Office earlier, you left a few in reserve as backup — they can now be deployed.”

“If we deploy those few, there will be no backup anymore.”

The Chief Liaison Officer accordingly inferred: “Then… do we draw from here?” He was not very willing — the Liaison Office was his territory, and he did not much want others getting involved in his domain.

Zhù Ying said, “Is the Liaison Office not short a few positions? Fill the vacancies — call Official Ruan in.”

The Chief Liaison Officer brightened, then quickly composed his expression: “My Lord’s meaning… who is to fill them?”

Zhù Ying said, “New people. Fill the Liaison Officer vacancies. Call Official Ruan over.”

Official Ruan arrived shortly. Zhù Ying explained the matter to him, and Official Ruan said, “This is timely — it is also the season for evaluations. Who does my Lord have in mind?” He guessed she might be talking about filling an official position for Ding Gui and others — though that would be rather fast, wouldn’t it?

But unexpectedly Zhù Ying said, “Let’s take two more from the National Academy — during the negotiations, one to handle records and inquiries for the western frontier peoples, one for the northern foreign peoples.”

Official Ruan smiled: “That can be done.”

“Fill in a few more clerks as well — now that people have been pulled away from the Four Barbarians’ Lodge, replacements need to be put in so that things are not disrupted.”

“Yes.”

“The terms of the Chief Clerk and Administrative Supervisor in Wuzhou are also due for rotation — handle that at the same time.”

“Yes.”

“You draft it; I will take it with the Court of Dependencies’ endorsement and bring it to the Ministry of Personnel.”

“Yes.”

After they finished discussing this, Luo Sheng returned from court. He was in high spirits, and whatever Zhù Ying said he agreed to — hearing that positions were to be filled, and that it was not an extra allocation but simply filling existing vacancies, and that the candidates were coming from the National Academy rather than some random unqualified lot — Luo Sheng said, “We certainly should fill our staffing properly. I have been occupied lately — Zizhang, please take charge of more.” He took up the brush and signed his name. He handed over the documents, and Zhù Ying went on to handle the next matter.

Within half a day’s work, Zhù Ying had obtained the official appointment documents for Scholar Fan and Scholar Zhang. They received word from Xiang Le barely before the ink was dry on their new official identities, and for a moment the joy was so sudden they were simply stunned, standing frozen on the spot. Only when Xiang Le gave them a reminder did they remember they needed to pack their belongings, take their leave from their mentors like Senior Scholar Yue and the others, and go to Zhù Ying’s residence to express their thanks.

Becoming a Liaison Officer — ninth rank — serving directly under Zhù Ying: this was an exceptionally comfortable arrangement.

They arrived at Zhù Ying’s residence but found no one to meet them. Now that the Crown Prince was no longer confined to the palace, he could attend court as well; Luo Sheng had on the spot proposed borrowing the old Prince Zhao residence, and neither the Emperor nor the Crown Prince had objected. Clearing out one side of the old residence with its few courtyards would take a few days, and Zhù Ying had no need to be occupied with that today. She received several newly arrived envoy delegations, then received a letter from Prince Guangning’s residence — Prince Guangning’s Consort, Zheng Lin, had someone deliver a message inviting her to the residence for a visit.

Zhù Ying went to Prince Guangning’s residence, leaving Scholar Fan and Scholar Zhang to do nothing but wait at Zhù Ying’s house.