Su Qingtian was dressed in the costume of her own tribe, and so were all the people she had brought — wearing it openly, without any concealment. Had they come like this a few months earlier, they might have been stopped the moment they entered the capital and invited to the Governor’s Office for tea. Now that the affair of filing complaints had cooled down, their party in such dress was able to reach Zhù Ying’s residence smoothly.

Su Qingtian knew everyone in the household; it took little effort to have the gate opened. Su Zhe was already waiting inside the residence together with her.

Su Zhe’s visit to the capital had been arranged long in advance. The moment Zhù Ying stepped inside, the girl ran up to her, smiling, and called: “A’Weng!”

She was at the age when girls grew fastest; a year without seeing each other, and she had grown yet again. Even in the northern capital, her height among girls was not short. She wore blue robes embroidered with red flowers, silver ornaments bright on her body, a small curved blade at her waist, and her smile was wholly unlike the girls of the capital.

Zhù Ying gave her a single sweeping look from head to toe and said: “Good.”

Su Zhe was even more pleased: “Mother said to come and follow all of A’Weng’s arrangements.”

Zhù Ying said: “A person who does whatever everyone else tells them — that wouldn’t be you. Come, let’s speak inside. A’Yin — get them settled. Little Younger Sister can still have the back rooms; open the front courtyard for Elder Sister. When Qingtian is staying in the capital, she’ll share with Younger Sister. Who did you bring? Let everyone get to know each other.”

Su Zhe scurried to Zhù Ying’s side: “All familiar faces — they all know the household’s rules.”

Zhù Ying flicked her on the forehead: “I’ve got people here you don’t know yet. When you need the kitchen, you’ll have to clear it with Auntie Li and the others first.”

“Oh, understood! Got it!”

Su Qingtian finally had a chance to speak: “Xiang An still has some matters to handle. She also brought goods; she’ll arrive a few days after us.”

“Understood.”

Zhù Ying had not changed her clothes, and first went with them to the study. Su Qingtian and Su Zhe stood before her desk, and Su Zhe glanced at a strip of black silk on the desk — it struck her as odd, out of place here.

Zhù Ying said: “Sit down. How is the family?”

The two sat, accepted the tea passed to them by a household serving woman, took a sip, wanted to speak, then laughed, then went quiet for a moment before Su Zhe said: “Very smoothly. Mother and the others had already made preparations, and reading A’Weng’s letter, we followed your plan. The two Censors were immediately angry on the spot and said the Prefect had been acting recklessly. Someone spoke up for the Prefect, so we had people prearranged to come out and say — those people had bullied people along with the Prefect and taken many benefits. The Censors arrested them too. A’Weng — what will happen to the Prefect?”

“Transferred away.” Zhù Ying didn’t conceal it.

“That’s getting off lightly! Then — the new one…”

Zhù Ying smiled: “See, you’re not a person who just quietly does as she’s told. The new Prefect — best if he doesn’t actually take up the post.”

“Hm?”

Zhù Ying said: “You really must stay in the capital for another stint, take a good look at how the court conducts its affairs — otherwise, isolated beyond the passes, thinking with the door closed, it really won’t do. Learn slowly, look slowly. I’ll get things arranged for you over the next couple of days; after that, you’ll live here with me, and together with Lin Feng, first take a look at the guild hall, then spend some time at the school for tributary peoples. Oh — Qingtian, don’t leave for now either.”

Su Qingtian quickly said: “Yes. What do you need me to do?”

Zhù Ying answered with a question instead: “Didn’t Younger Sister ask you to pass along anything?”

Su Qingtian said: “Yes!” and presented Su Mingluan’s letter.

Zhù Ying opened it and read. The letter covered two things: first, the follow-up arrangements after the incident; and second, entrusting her daughter to Zhù Ying’s instruction. The letter also mentioned that Su Mingluan was preparing a stamped blank official memorial. If there were an urgent matter, Zhù Ying could directly take it and fill in whatever content she deemed appropriate, and submit it to the court in Su Mingluan’s name.

Su Zhe then passed over a blank memorial with an official seal.

Zhù Ying opened it and looked, then said: “I’ll keep it here for now. I’ll tell you what it’s being used for before I use it.”

“Yes.”

Zhù Ying said: “No more unnecessary words. The Censors have already returned to the capital, and there will be arrangements soon. Barring anything unexpected, the inner three counties will be demarcated as Jiyuan Prefecture; the outer five counties will form their own prefecture, still to be called Wuzhou…”

She told them what had been deliberated in the Grand Council. Su Zhe and Su Qingtian, hearing that the Prefect would only hold an empty title and would not truly come to govern their Wuzhou, both smiled: “That is truly wonderful!”

Su Zhe said: “So that’s what it means to not actually take up the post! If A’Weng could come back to Wuzhou as Prefect, that would be best. Even if the territory is small, to the west — whether Yigan or Xika — none of them are a match for us! We’d take a great big prefecture, and you’d lead us and we’d make our lives.”

Zhù Ying said: “Oh? Thinking of annexing others?”

Su Zhe wrinkled her small nose and said softly: “You were just helping them live better lives!”

Zhù Ying asked: “Have you made a move against them?”

Su Zhe said: “Who has the mood for that? Without you there, Uncle Su and the others have no heart for it either. They all say — with you there, everything feels secure. I think they’re being greedy.”

Zhù Ying said: “Hmm… as long as no moves were made, good. Your uncle and his people haven’t sorted out their own affairs yet. Stay home for the next couple of days and don’t go out. I’ll send word for Su Jia Ming to come over to keep you company, and once things are settled, there will be plenty of time for you to explore. Oh — Qingtian, don’t leave for now.”

“Yes.”

Zhù Lian and the others came home one after another. Meeting old friends in a foreign place, suddenly there was a greater warmth. Su Zhe and Zhù Lian were about the same age; Zhù Qingjun was a little younger than her; Lin Feng was a little older. Four people, four different situations; they had not been particularly close before, but now Zhù Qingjun and Su Zhe were holding hands, Lin Feng asking why she hadn’t called him Uncle, Zhù Lian standing to one side watching with his arms folded, chipping in occasionally.

The most talkative were Su Zhe and Zhù Qingjun — a lone daughter of a chieftain and an orphaned slave girl, arm in arm, happily chatting. Quite a sight.

Zhù Ying said: “Alright — dinner first.”

Both Zhù Qingjun and Zhù Lian glanced at the strip of black silk. Su Zhe asked: “What’s that for?”

Zhù Ying said: “Something I use for play.”

“Oh.”

Dinner was served without any rule about no talking. Zhù Ying said to Zhù Yín: “Tomorrow ask the nun to come over and take everyone’s pulses, prescribe some medicine as a precaution against the change of climate.”

Su Zhe said: “I’m perfectly fine.”

Zhù Qingjun’s face reddened slightly: “Well… cough, I got ill for a while when I first arrived.”

Zhù Ying said: “People who eat grain all get sick sometimes. Better to take precautions.”

“Yes.”

After dinner, everyone returned to their rooms to rest. Su Zhe’s serving women moved into her courtyard with her, rolled up their sleeves, and started to clean and tidy. Su Zhe and Su Qingtian noticed the household was no longer furnished with bamboo and felt that Zhù Ying should also have a better life by now.

When the tidying was done, Zhù Yín came again to ask if they needed anything else, and asked what they might want for a nighttime snack. Su Zhe said: “No need — this is already very good.”

Zhù Yín said: “Then please follow me — the sir has a few more words for you.”

Su Zhe and Su Qingtian followed her to the study. Su Zhe looked curiously at Zhù Ying: “A’Weng, are you doing it again…”

Zhù Ying sat behind the desk, the black silk covering her eyes, composed and still. Zhù Ying said: “Sit down. Two matters. First — build your own guild hall. Second — in the coming days I’ll introduce you to some people. Perhaps the Emperor as well; that depends on what he wants.”

“Yes.”

Su Qingtian asked with concern: “A guild hall?”

“Yes. The Wuzhou guild hall in the capital was built mainly by the inner three counties. Now that there is a new Wuzhou, should you keep borrowing other people’s? It needs to be built. Fortunately, Su Jia Ming and A’Jin are both here; we can look for a site slowly. Once the formal orders come down, we’ll start making the arrangements.”

Su Zhe asked with concern: “That person with the honorary title — who will it be?”

“Whoever it is, he won’t be able to go there. Just send him some gifts each year. I’ll teach you how this is handled. Once it’s been decided, I’ll bring you to meet this person.” Zhù Ying was somewhat hoping it would be the Prince of Qiyang. That particular person appeared, on current evidence, to be relatively unlikely to do anything foolish. The others were harder to say.

“Yes.”

Her own arrangements finished, Zhù Ying asked: “Do you two have anything else to arrange?”

Both said they did not. Zhù Ying said: “Very well — go and rest.”

……——

After returning to her room, Su Zhe began rummaging through her trunks and cases. Su Qingtian said: “It’s so late — why aren’t you sleeping? Don’t people in the capital rise early?”

Su Zhe said: “I’m looking for cloth. A’Weng was covering her eyes — there must be some meaning to it. I want to try it too.”

“Then try tomorrow — tonight even if you find the cloth, you’d only be sleeping with your eyes covered. That’s pointless.”

Su Zhe only then went to sleep.

Early the next morning, the household rose very early. Because of Su Zhe’s arrival, Zhù Ying’s plans to go to the suburbs were put aside for now. But the nun came quickly, examined Su Zhe and Su Qingtian and the others, and left prescriptions for cooling summer tonics. Su Jia Ming and A’Jin also came to join the young people, and the several of them chatted happily together.

Zhù Ying said to Su Jia Ming: “You all have your own small secrets — I’ll leave Younger Sister in your care. Take her to get two summer outfits made, the latest capital styles.”

Su Jia Ming laughed: “Yes.”

Zhù Ying also sent word to Wang Yunhe and Luo Sheng, informing them that Su Zhe had arrived in the capital, that everything was in order, and that she was temporarily lodging in Zhù Ying’s residence rather than being placed in the Hall of Ten Thousand Peoples.

Luo Sheng wrote back: you handle it.

Wang Yunhe wrote back: noted; come to the Grand Council tomorrow for a face-to-face discussion.

About what Zhù Ying had expected. After receiving the reply, she read Su Mingluan’s letter carefully once more.

At the end of the previous year, when Xiang An had headed south, the letters she carried had not only arranged how to file complaints and dig the trap, but Zhù Ying had also given Su Mingluan a word of warning: Su Mingluan had only this one daughter; the court did not treat a daughter inheriting the family’s affairs as a matter of course. A person with no sons was very liable to have the court find a son from among the brothers’ families to be adopted as heir. It was necessary to establish Su Zhe’s status as heir as early as possible.

For the kind of tributary outer territories that required court investiture, the process after the previous generation died was for the Court of State Ceremonial to sort through the filed records of legitimate and concubine-born, elder and younger, and report to the court to issue an official appointment. She was now in the Court of State Ceremonial and managed precisely this function. If something was going to be done, do it while the opportunity was present; done late would mean twice the effort for half the result.

Su Mingluan’s reply expressed deep gratitude for Zhù Ying’s reminder, and clearly requested Zhù Ying’s assistance in securing the court’s recognition of Su Zhe as the next county magistrate of Asu County at the earliest opportunity.

Zhù Ying decided: this matter must be settled at once!

The timing was rare. If she didn’t press for favorable terms while the court-appointed Prefect had just committed a great error in Wuzhou, it would be harder to press for terms in the future.

Zhù Ying called Su Zhe back to the study. Su Zhe entered the study and laughed, asking: “A’Weng — you’re not covering your eyes today?”

Zhù Ying set the blank memorial on the desk and said: “Come here.”

Su Zhe walked forward. Zhù Ying ran a finger along the edge of the memorial and said: “This — I’m going to use it.”

Su Zhe said: “Ah? What — what for?”

Zhù Ying smiled: “For you.”

“Me?”

Zhù Ying nodded: “Your mother intends to hand her household over to you in due time. We’ve discussed it. Now we need to establish it with the court.”

Su Zhe’s breathing quickened; her small chest rose and fell rapidly. She fought to restrain her excitement: “But… if something else happens and this needs to be used again, there won’t be a second blank one.”

Zhù Ying said: “Isn’t there you?”

Once established as heir, Su Zhe’s every word and action could be regarded as Su Mingluan’s representative in the capital — wasn’t that more useful than one blank memorial? Su Zhe could even submit memorials to the court in her own name. Compared to the difficulty of then explaining how a conveniently worded memorial had so timely appeared, Su Zhe’s own presence was far more logical. Though she presently held no rank, with the name established, Zhù Ying could still submit memorials on her behalf.

Su Zhe could not yet think through so many steps at once. After going in two circles in her mind she worked it out, and said: “I’ll listen to A’Weng!”

Zhù Ying said: “From now on you must be careful in word and deed.”

“Yes!”

“Once it’s confirmed, I’ll teach you how to respond to questions and how to write memorials.”

“Yes.”

Zhù Ying said: “Once someone goes south, I’ll have them bring this news to your mother — then she can rest easy.”

The two settled on how the memorial would be written, filled it in, and Su Zhe left the study with a spring in her step.

The next day, Zhù Ying went early to morning court. A rare occasion — she attended court. The Emperor was helped to the imperial throne by two eunuchs. The assembled voices crying “ten thousand years” fell silent, and the various offices, having already agreed beforehand not to press things at this moment, made the court session conclude very quickly. The Chief Ministers and the Six Board and Nine Court heads and others remained behind; the rest departed to their own places. The performance was over.

On this day the Court of State Ceremonial had Sheng Ying going out for matters. The summer heat had killed an old consort-dowager and two senior officials. Fortunately they had not all died on the same day, and Sheng Ying could still divide his time among them. He had to rush to three places over three days, leaving the Ceremonial Office running ragged.

Zhù Ying said to Deputy Director Wang: “In the name of the Court of State Ceremonial, advance a sum for cooling expenses for all the people going out on duty these days.”

Deputy Director Wang smiled: “Everyone receives this when summer starts.”

“Give a little extra on top — none of it is easy.”

Deputy Director Wang said: “Sir is too kind-hearted.”

Zhù Ying said: “We’re all colleagues; can’t be too distant.”

Deputy Director Wang agreed, feeling that Zhù Ying was a person who knew how to handle people well.

This day was also not one of the Prince of Qiyang’s visits. When Luo Sheng returned to the Court of State Ceremonial from court, his forehead was damp with sweat — he was a little wilted. Sheng Ying said he had to go out, then in low spirits gave a few perfunctory words; he had no energy to ask further.

Once Sheng Ying had left, Luo Sheng said: “His Majesty was angry today.”

“Hm?”

“Since his illness of the other time, his temper has grown increasingly short. Today he scolded the Crown Prince for not handling official business carefully enough. Alas — I don’t even know how Luo Yi is getting on in the palace…”

Zhù Ying said: “I fear throughout the entire palace, His Majesty is only incapable of being angry at her.”

Luo Sheng said quietly: “It’s just that I’m afraid Prince Lu will say something foolish again. Honestly — why must he still have such affection for Prince Lu?”

Zhù Ying was mildly surprised. Luo Sheng almost never said an unkind word about anyone, yet now he had mentioned Prince Lu — and dragged the Emperor in with him. She said: “Parents dote on the youngest.”

Luo Sheng kept wrinkling his nose: “Doting a bit too much.”

Zhù Ying said: “Don’t say this outside — if people heard it, they’d say the two of you are at odds.”

“Oh, never mind, never mind — I’m just telling you. Are you busy today?”

“There’s one matter — the thing we mentioned yesterday.”

“Oh, oh — you arrange it.”

“I chatted with her last night after settling in, and only then learned that her mother has a memorial requesting that she be established as heir.”

Luo Sheng said: “Asu County Magistrate — doesn’t she only have one daughter? How can a daughter be established as heir? That seems off, doesn’t it?”

“Only child.”

“But that’s still not right. Can’t she have more children in the future? Even without a natural son, couldn’t she adopt from the clan?” Luo Sheng asked quite naturally.

Zhù Ying said: “Consider — what exactly did they come to file complaints about this time? One thing led to another, and there it was. They feel unsettled.”

“Oh dear…”

“This memorial — I’m afraid we need to submit it on their behalf. They’ve always had this custom, and Su Mingluan has done a good job as county magistrate.”

Luo Sheng pondered for a long while, then said: “As long as it doesn’t cause unrest — and it’s not the Central Plains — let them do as they please. None of our business.”

“Then shall I send it to the Grand Council?”

“Go.”

……

Zhù Ying went swiftly to the Grand Council. Wang Yunhe had been intending to ask about the matter of harboring Su Zhe. But Zhù Ying went and produced another memorial, which stuffed back what Wang Yunhe had been about to say.

Wang Yunhe and Shi Kun examined it, and Shi Kun’s view turned out to coincide remarkably with Luo Sheng’s: “Let them follow their own customs. Assimilation cannot be accomplished in a day or two.”

Wang Yunhe said nothing, continuing to look at Zhù Ying. Zhù Ying said: “She needs the court’s recognition — that being the case is better than not being the case.”

Liu Songnian sat with folded arms and listened to them for a while, then said: “Scheming again!”

Zhù Ying said: “In a household, when the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law quarrel, what is the solution? It’s not about whether the mother-in-law is kind or the daughter-in-law is filial — it’s about whether the man of the house has a clear head. Pressing down with moral rectitude and authority: either you drive the wife to her death or you drive her away, and in the end the whole household is shattered. Better to have a mother on one side and a wife on the other, with us in the middle smoothing things over for now. As time passes, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law will come to understand each other’s temperaments, and things will gradually ease into harmony.”

Wang Yunhe said: “So be it. It’s true the Wuzhou Prefect handled things improperly before. Leave the memorial; I’ll report it to His Majesty.”

Zhù Ying immediately asked: “And the new Wuzhou Prefect?”

Wang Yunhe said: “The Prince of Qiyang.”

“Oh?” Though it was what she herself had hoped for, she hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly — almost without having to open her mouth. She had still thought she would need to do more persuading.

Shi Kun said: “Don’t ask what you shouldn’t. Would the Prince of Qiyang shame Wuzhou? Is that what you’re suggesting?”

That day, after the Emperor’s outburst, the idle guests like Luo Sheng had withdrawn, while the Chief Ministers remained to discuss affairs further, and the atmosphere had become even more strained. Openly, the Emperor had rebuked the Crown Prince; privately, the moment the Grand Council raised “remote governance,” the Emperor named the Prince of Qiyang.

Shi Kun had watched the whole thing and felt deeply uncomfortable throughout. Liu Songnian — that old man covered from head to toe in thorns, all of which had long since hardened — had actually kept silent and not teased the Emperor about it even twice.

Seeing Shi Kun’s expression was off, Zhù Ying saw her opportunity and withdrew gracefully, her voice growing more deferential: “Not at all, not at all. Then — the Court of State Ceremonial will arrange for Su Zhe and Lin Feng, who are presently in the capital, to call on His Royal Highness at an appropriate time?”

Shi Kun said: “Go.”

“Yes.”

Within a few days, the memorial was duly approved and returned.