Yang Prefect stepped out of the field office and looked back at the building. The building was one he himself had chosen, and after Zhù Ying’s arrival, no alterations had been made to it — yet now it felt strangely unfamiliar to him.
He tilted his face upward slightly, welcoming the sunlight streaming down from above, its warmth gentle and mild.
A breeze swept through. Yang Prefect raised a hand to brush away the strands of hair blown against his face, relieving that faint, ticklish sensation. He came back to his senses, glanced down at the steps beneath his feet, then strode over to his horse.
“Return to the prefectural office!” said Yang Prefect.
Back at the prefectural office, Yang Prefect summoned all the officials and clerks of the prefecture. After a quick scan of the assembled faces, he furrowed his brow and asked, “Where is Director Jiang of the Bureau of Justice?”
The people below glanced about at one another. Shi the Vice Prefect said, “It seems he wasn’t seen at all today.”
Yang Prefect’s brow knitted tight: “Did he report sick? Has something happened?”
None of them knew.
Yang Prefect said, “Go find him at once!”
The clerks hurried off and searched the entire prefectural office. Others were sent to Director Jiang’s lodgings — no one there either. Yang Prefect said, “Keep looking. We won’t wait for him. The Imperial Envoy has issued orders. Let us begin.”
Shi the Vice Prefect asked what the matter was. Yang Prefect said, “Selecting personnel. Conducting examinations.”
The two special commissions Zhù Ying held did not necessarily carry the authority to select and recommend officials — yet before her departure she had managed to obtain that authority, and since Qiu Yiming had paraded about with great fanfare for all to see, everyone who had witnessed it understood that Zhù Ying’s power was no mere decoration but something she could genuinely put to use.
This matter had designated personnel to oversee it. Yang Prefect did not alter the requirements himself and simply directed the official academy to make preparations.
He then continued: “Have the documents gone out to the various counties? It is time to begin collecting the tax revenue! This year, everyone take care — do not sacrifice the greater for the lesser, and do not extort the common people! Barbarian invaders are presently at our borders, and we must work together with one heart. Do not stir up further troubles. Otherwise, I may be able to overlook it, but the Imperial Envoy will not. This one comes from the Court of Judicial Review — she is among the most astute of people. All of you, weigh the matter carefully. Whoever wishes to stick their neck out as an example for everyone else, I would not at all mind seeing what becomes of them.”
Shi the Vice Prefect said, “None of us here lacks eyes. Whatever approach each of us takes to governing the people, it is all in the service of the public good. With the public good in one’s heart, all things can be discussed.”
Everyone agreed in unison.
Yang Prefect gave a stern, dignified nod and continued: “As for the cases currently in hand… has Director Jiang not yet returned? Where in the world has he gone? Simply incomprehensible!”
Director Jiang was approximately the same age as Yang Prefect. His position was the sort that an ordinary man treading the path of officialdom in the court might obtain through considerable effort — a rank attainable at this age if things went reasonably well.
At that moment, Director Jiang was standing before the field office, saying to the two attendants on guard at the door, “I am Jiang Chengzhi, Director of the Bureau of Justice in this prefecture. I have a matter to discuss and request an audience with the Imperial Envoy. I respectfully ask that you announce me.” As he spoke, he reached for a red envelope to offer.
Zhù Wen waved it away, saying, “Our superior does not observe such formalities. Please wait a moment.”
Inside, Zhù Ying was in the middle of composing examination questions. She had divided the exam into two parts: one to test classical learning, and one modeled on the Ministry of Personnel’s examination format. She was currently in urgent need of capable people and required individuals who could hit the ground running — there was no time for careful instruction. The standard of scholarship in the north far surpassed that of the impoverished Wuzhou, and the number of students was also far greater, making it well able to withstand her level of screening.
She had only finished two questions when Zhù Wen came to report. Zhù Ying said, “Him? Bring him to the front hall.”
She set down her brush and strolled to the front hall, genuinely curious as to what Jiang Chengzhi might have to say. She had an impression of him — major criminal cases forwarded by this prefecture to the Court of Judicial Review were rare, so it was only an impression. The case files were fairly well prepared, and the ones that reached her desk had no serious problems. When she sent files back for re-investigation and re-adjudication, the corrections came quickly.
When she arrived at the front hall, Jiang Chengzhi saw her coming and rushed ahead to drop to his knees, choking out a cry of, “My lord!”
Then he burst into loud weeping, as though Zhù Ying were the ancestral tablet of his own household.
Zhù Ying said, “Help him up quickly.”
Jiang Chengzhi struggled, refusing to rise, repeatedly pressing his forehead to the ground: “Your subordinate deserves ten thousand deaths. I have failed His Majesty — failed the court! I am guilty, my lord!”
“Whatever the matter is, you’ll need to stand up before you can explain it properly. Help him up, and bring a basin of water for Director Jiang.”
Director Jiang was helped to a seat, dried his face, and then promptly stood back up straight, arms at his sides: “Your subordinate bound up his hair and studied the classics. My mother taught me to be loyal to the sovereign, to love the people, and to uphold the law in integrity. I have always conducted myself accordingly. Yet since taking up the directorship in this prefecture, it has been impossible to preserve that original intention. On one side were those pushing for ‘reform,’ and on the other, those insisting on ‘steady, time-tested governance.’ The law itself became a weapon in their power struggles, and I, a mere director of the Bureau of Justice, was pushed and pulled in all directions, unable to find my footing — and in the end I yielded to them. One misstep becomes an eternal regret. I sank ever deeper. Now, by Heaven’s grace, my lord has granted an opportunity for repentance, and your subordinate is willing to come forward and confess.”
Zhù Ying knew all of this was conventional rhetoric and said pleasantly, “Director Jiang, do not distress yourself. Tell me slowly. These past two years, the cases you submitted to the Court of Judicial Review contained no errors.”
Director Jiang had come prepared. He quickly said, “Those two cases had no errors — the ones with problems were suppressed.”
Zhù Ying’s expression showed not the slightest irritation. She asked, “Is that so?”
Director Jiang smiled bitterly. “You see through everything, my lord. Nothing can be hidden from you.”
Zhù Ying remained pleasant: “Since you’ve come all this way, you might as well explain in detail.”
Director Jiang produced a thick notebook and said, “It is all recorded here.”
There was nothing in it that Zhù Ying did not already know as a method: in homicide cases, for instance, private settlements were arranged and then the manner of death changed from murder to suicide or accidental injury. He had not sunk quite as low as he might have — after accepting bribes himself, he had still made the culprits quietly slip money to the bereaved family. In this way, large matters were made small, and small matters dissolved entirely, leaving no trace in some cases.
Those were the major items. Beyond those, there were smaller matters handled in the same fashion.
Zhù Ying said, “Is that all of it?”
Director Jiang hurriedly said, “I dare not conceal anything.”
Zhù Ying gestured for a cup of tea to be brought to him and indicated that he should sit, then said slowly, “After a military defeat resulting in many casualties, the loss of much of the supply train, and the wiping out of years of false payroll records and old debts — and after four cities were looted, creating one enormous hole that swept away all the small honeycomb-like holes that came before — things have a way of sorting themselves out.”
Director Jiang’s hands, cradling the teacup, gave a slight tremor. He understood that the person before him was someone who truly knew the workings of the world. He cautiously raised his eyes to look at this Imperial Envoy who was ten years his junior, then immediately looked back down, his hands still trembling. He said in a shaking voice, “What your subordinate personally handled was indeed only these matters.”
Zhù Ying said, “You are the first to come forward. First come, first served.”
Director Jiang felt a great weight lift from his heart. He hastily said, “I dare not harbor any deception!”
Zhù Ying had someone return the thick notebook to him, then said to Zhù Wen, “Prepare brush and ink, and issue a document to all prefectures and counties instructing them to self-review past cases. Those who correct their own irregularities will not be harshly prosecuted by me.”
Director Jiang leapt to his feet with a whoosh: “My lord truly places faith in people! Your subordinate will go immediately to correct the errors and not make things difficult for my lord!”
Zhù Ying said, “Don’t make me wait too long.”
“Yes!”
The moment Director Jiang left through the front, Jin Liang slipped out through the back, watching his departing figure and saying, “This… this is it? He’s just being let go?”
Zhù Ying said, “That’s right.”
“That notebook was so thick.”
Zhù Ying said, “Yes. You know, I know, and he knows better than anyone — which is why he was the very first to come. You buy a thoroughbred’s bones with a thousand gold. You have to let the officials of the north know that I keep my word.”
Jin Liang said urgently, “I understand the reasoning, but — didn’t you come to investigate their wrongdoings? If you let him off so easily, how will you account for it? You can’t just play the good person here! You are a Surveillance Commissioner. The censors at court have been working themselves to exhaustion, and when you go back, if you don’t bring some cases to report, I don’t imagine that will do.”
Zhù Ying said, “I am also a Pacification Commissioner.”
“Even so… you’re not here to pacify these people. The four cities of the northern border — haven’t they been pacified already?”
Zhù Ying looked at him and asked, “There’s a pit in the ground, you cover it with a sheet of paper and call it patched. What you actually need is to fill it with earth. Whether the soil is loose or compacted, the work must be done. Otherwise, if I were to rush down and arrest people one by one, go through each case — yes, that would show my capabilities. But then the northern officialdom would be thrown into another round of turmoil. New officials would be dispatched, and they’d start all over again with faction-building and infighting. In the end, the ones who suffer are still the common people.”
“How could that be? If everything is purged and clean, wouldn’t that be fine?”
Zhù Ying said, “Think of it this way: the military is supposedly the place where discipline is strictest. Is it ever truly clean?”
Jin Liang said, “Well, that — that’s a bit different…”
Zhù Ying said, “For that, you’d need to give me more time. Let me stay in the north for a few more years, and I could gradually bring it into better order. I’m only afraid the Barbarian Lord and the Barbarian Chancellor won’t give me that opportunity. If they come tomorrow, what am I to do? I need to first pull all the people together into a unified whole.”
Jin Liang fell completely silent.
Zhù Ying smiled. “All right, stop worrying. In a couple of days, let’s go watch the fun together. Little Sister and the others should be back tomorrow as well.”
Jin Liang remained silent until that evening, when Chen Fang and the others returned one after another. They had spent several days traveling through the prefecture, not leaving it, and had investigated some of the prefecture’s affairs. They had also taken note of a number of local unscrupulous gentry who had provoked considerable popular resentment. The harvest of information was considerable.
Zhù Ying said, “Well done. Tomorrow, everyone first organize the documents in hand and submit them to me. In five days, we will go to the academy to observe the examinations.”
Chen Fang asked, “Will it be a direct appointment of officials for those who pass, as well?”
Zhù Ying said, “Of course not. An example has already been set; the rest need not be rushed. Good candidates must be found before any use can be made of them.” She then pointed at the northern youths and said, “And there are still these. First take the examination. Those who perform well enough to be of use to me will be kept in the field office to work at my disposal. Those who do well and render meritorious service will advance in order of precedence.”
Chen Fang said, “Excellent.”
Zhù Ying said, “Let’s eat first. After the meal, tell me in detail about your observations these past few days.”
“Yes.”
After a hurried meal, Zhù Ying listened in turn to their accounts of what they had seen and heard these past few days. What Chen Fang had observed was that among the gentry and scholars, some were better than others. He said to Zhù Ying, “Uncle-by-courtesy wishes to employ the scholars of the north — that is indeed adapting to local conditions. However, they are of uneven quality, so please take note of their reputations.”
Chen Fang could see more clearly than the others. The north was effectively the main base from which Marquis Zheng confronted the barbarian armies, and for this place to be stable, the local gentry and common people had to be kept settled. That was why Zhù Ying was screening and recommending local men for official posts, and why the court had approved it without reduction. But there were risks to this approach — one could not simply use any gentry member who presented himself.
Zhù Ying said, “Good point.”
Zhuo Jue also had thoughts. He put it more directly: “My lord’s appointment of local scholars to govern the local area has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is their familiarity with it; the disadvantage is the ease with which they can deceive the court.” That is to say, locals serving in local offices and forming factions together could easily squeeze out the court’s influence.
Su Zhe said, “But haven’t you arranged for cross-appointment among the four prefectures? That should work well enough.”
Zhù Ying listened as they discussed the matter gradually. She felt considerable satisfaction. At last she said, “All very well put. Rest tonight. Tomorrow we carry on working.”
“Yes.”
The next day, everyone went about their documentary work. Fortunately, each person had several northern youths to assist, and the work went very quickly. By evening, the case files for the prefecture had been placed on Zhù Ying’s desk.
Zhù Ying went through them again herself, forwarded certain cases to Director Jiang for him to “adjudicate impartially,” and then once more dispatched Su Zhe and the others: “No need for precise measurements — each of you take a few local youths with you and go to the countryside! Look at the fields and the population, and see how taxes are being collected. Anyone found to be imposing exorbitant levies or adding unauthorized surcharges — bring them all in.”
“Yes.”
Chen Fang was full of vigor. He pressed all his scholarly robes to the bottom of his trunk and had his attendant dig out some practical clothes instead. The attendant said, “Young master, let me take care of things — please rest a while. You’ve been out traveling every single day and are going to wear yourself down. I’ll heat some water in a moment; you can soak your feet, and I’ll give you a massage to relieve the fatigue…”
Master and attendant were still talking when there came a knock at the door. The attendant ran to open it and found Jin Liang standing outside.
Chen Fang also called out, “General Jin,” and invited him inside. “My belongings are all in disorder — please forgive the mess.”
Jin Liang said, “Never mind that. You go right ahead with what you’re doing, young master. I only have a few words to say and will be off.”
Chen Fang hurriedly asked what the matter was. Jin Liang said, “Ah, it’s about Sanlang. He’s quite busy at the moment, and a rough man like me can’t help with much else — so I’m asking you, young master, to please help relieve him of some burdens. He was such a proud and spirited young man back in the day, refusing to yield to anyone, refusing to bow his head — and yet here in the north, he must be so careful and cautious.”
Jin Liang’s conversation with Zhù Ying had left him deeply worried. Those wretched officials could not be punished — too dispiriting for words. He understood the reasoning well enough, yet still felt aggrieved on Zhù Ying’s behalf. Thinking that Chen Fang was the grandson and son-in-law of the former Chief Minister, and that the local Vice Prefect was connected to his wife’s family, he paid a private call on Chen Fang to share his concerns.
Chen Fang simply found Jin Liang — at his age — to be endearingly naive. There were still two flags flying, and Zhù Uncle’s spirit had never changed one bit. He simply did not bare his sharp fangs toward his own people.
He replied with great courtesy, “You are quite right. We shall naturally do our utmost to relieve Uncle’s burdens.”
Jin Liang rubbed his hands together. “Good, good. Then — then I won’t disturb you further.”
Chen Fang saw this endearing old man to the door and returned to find his attendant making a face. He gave him a mild reprimand: “What kind of expression is that?”
The attendant lowered his head and stifled a laugh.
The next day, Chen Fang, Su Zhe, and the others were once again dispatched to the countryside to make their rounds. Chen Fang observed everyone briefly, then noticed that Zhù Qingjun, Xiang Le, and the others had changed into simple cloth garments. After a moment’s thought, he retreated to his room and also dug out his plainest robe to change into.
He went out to the countryside and spent several more days making visits there, following Zhù Ying’s example — going to farmhouses to ask for water and a bite to eat, seeing what people’s meals were like. He practiced conversing with people and listening to their stories in order to gather a sense of their opinions.
When he judged the right moment had come, he rode back to the field office with all haste — the examination in the prefecture had begun.
On that day, the weather was fine. The wind was gentle, the sun warm and bright.
Zhù Ying led the group to the official academy, where she met with Yang Prefect and the other officials. First they made offerings before the statue of Confucius, and then the examination was announced.
The examination was to be held over three days. Students enrolled in the official academy had already been verified in advance and could enter directly with their identification papers. Tribute candidates had been pre-screened by Yang Prefect and could also enter directly with their papers. In addition, a number of local scholars, bearing their identification papers along with letters of guarantee from local officials and gentry, were permitted to enter.
Although the notice had gone out with little lead time, the northern terrain was flat and transportation far more convenient than in the south. Once the announcement was made, a sizable number of candidates arrived. Students from the prefectural and county academies alone numbered over two hundred; there were also ten tribute candidates and several dozen additional scholars — a total of three hundred.
Yet Zhù Ying intended to select only forty from among them.
First came an explanation of the rules: no cheating, and names to be concealed.
Zhù Ying sat in the presiding seat herself, listening to names being called out below. Suddenly she pointed at one particular candidate and said, “Bring him up.”
Yang Prefect asked, “Has my lord noticed something unusual about him?”
Zhù Ying smiled and shook her head. “Bring his identification paper for me to see.”
When his name was called, this person was identified as the son of a local gentry family from a certain county — but to Zhù Ying’s eye, his appearance did not match that description. Families that could afford to educate their children generally had a decent standard of living. Of course, there were those who had learned by eavesdropping, as she herself had done, as well as some poor children from Wuzhou supported by their clans. But broadly speaking, such individuals still looked reasonably respectable.
This person’s appearance was presentable enough, but his movements carried a slight edge of unease and wariness. He would unconsciously stoop at the waist; his neck would dip involuntarily; his shoulders and arms drew inward — traits that were very difficult to cultivate in a comfortable environment.
Looking further at his clothing: the garments were new and of the sort a gentry household could afford, but his movements were consistently a little awkward, and he kept adjusting his clothes, as though he was unaccustomed to wearing such things. His shoes, too, were new, and his gait showed a slight maladjustment to them.
Yang Prefect asked, “Who are you?”
This was a young man who had not yet grown a beard. He said in a loud voice, “This student is from Li family of such-and-such county.”
Zhù Ying suddenly asked, “What is your father’s name?”
The man immediately opened his mouth: “Cui Wu—” He caught himself abruptly!
Yang Prefect said, “How can a man not know his own father’s name? Investigate! Who comes from the same district as him?! No, wait — your surname is Li? Then how does your father have the surname Cui? Is he a husband who married into his wife’s family?”
It was quickly discovered that this man’s surname was Cui, and he was a substitute candidate — taking the exam in someone else’s place!
In recent years, it had become increasingly difficult for ordinary people to enter officialdom. With Qiu Yiming’s journey from south to north and Zhù Ying issuing public notices, many people had begun thinking actively and resolved to seize this opportunity.
The Li family were local gentry, but their son was rather dull-witted. The son’s study-companion, one Cui by surname, was clever, and so he was presented as the Li family’s own son to sit the examination, with the promise that Cui would afterward be granted his freedom. In any case, the Imperial Envoy was only a temporary commissioner; she would return to the capital before long, and the Li family could go on comfortably doing their business at home. Perfect.
What they had not anticipated was that Zhù Ying would be there with nothing better to do than supervise the examination in person — and see right through it!
A murmuring broke out below. Exclamations of astonishment rippled outward, and very quickly many people came to know the story.
Zhù Ying had the Li family’s name recorded, and Yang Prefect dispatched constables to detain the Li father and son.
Zhù Ying said, “Continue.”
Candidates were still filing in. Shi the Vice Prefect had a moment to chat idly with Chen Fang. “His Excellency Zhù truly has sharp eyes and keen ears!”
Chen Fang said in a low voice, “For Uncle, this is nothing remarkable. Uncle comes from the Court of Judicial Review. While my grandfather was still alive, he once witnessed it himself — Uncle needed only to glance at the ground and he could identify a murderer.”
Jin Liang, who was listening nearby, interjected, “Absolutely true! There was that time at my household when—” He stopped mid-sentence. Wait — wasn’t that the Chen family’s scandal?
Shi the Vice Prefect asked, “What happened at the General’s household?”
Jin Liang immediately swerved: “It was a theft — my lord found the stolen goods. And then there was…” There was also Marquis Zheng’s uncle’s family from those years — oh, but that was a family scandal, too.
Jin Liang pivoted back to the case of Gong Jie, in which Zhù Ying had led the way to uncovering a crucial piece of evidence.
Once they started, Su Zhe and Zhù Qingjun had their own stories to add. The richest store of stories came from Zhù Qingjun: “…And that was how several escaped convicts were all apprehended and strung up on poles! From that day on, no outsider dared to come and cause trouble in Fulu County!”
These were all tales Zhù Qingjun had heard from Huajie.
In Huajie’s eyes, there was no flaw in Zhù Ying. If any matter was not brought to a satisfying conclusion, it was invariably because others had not cooperated well enough. This had profoundly influenced Zhù Qingjun, who already held Zhù Ying in deep reverence, so that speaking of her now, she could say nothing but good.
Beside them, Director Jiang rubbed his neck and thought: What sort of fixation does this lord have? It seems she has a thing for flagpoles…
The group spent three days exchanging stories with the local officials. After the examination was completed, Zhù Ying gathered her people to grade the papers. Chen Fang, Zhuo Jue, and several others were all pressed into service marking scripts. Shi the Vice Prefect and Yang Prefect were also kept busy.
With the names concealed, the process was genuinely fairer.
The final tallying of scores kept two and a half people from Zhù Ying’s retinue who had a grasp of arithmetic busy working with the Xiang siblings for half a day before the calculations were complete. The top forty names were posted publicly.
Yang Prefect asked Zhù Ying quietly, “Forty people — can they all be placed?”
Zhù Ying smiled. “That depends on how they are placed. This evening I am hosting a dinner, and I must insist that Prefect-sir comes as well.”
She hosted a banquet at the field office and invited the forty students to dine: “You are all outstanding talents from this region. This is a time when capable people are urgently needed — effort will bring results.”
The students’ faces flushed. Xiang Le glanced at them and thought: These young innocents — just buckle down and work!
Zhù Ying continued in an unhurried tone, “Each person has their particular strengths, and those strengths can only shine when placed in a fitting role. There are a few matters at hand now. Let me see what you are capable of.”
The students responded in affirmation.
Zhù Ying first had them eat dinner, then asked them to bring their belongings to the field office the following day to assemble. She did not immediately petition for official posts for any of them but instead, through the snow, led them to the next prefecture and repeated the process all over again — raising the flagpole, receiving written petitions, accepting confessions, and holding examinations to select candidates.
Having swept through all four prefectures, she arrived finally at Prefect Wang’s location. Since she already had thirty youths following her, she selected only twenty more there.
In the four prefectures of the north, the two prefectures untouched by the barbarian soldiers had each contributed forty. In Prefect Wang’s jurisdiction, three cities had suffered from the military disaster; in Prefect Zhang’s, one city had suffered. From each of these four affected cities, twenty were selected, with ten already having been provisionally given posts. From Prefect Zhang’s prefecture, an additional forty were selected.
Once encamped again, Zhù Ying now had a hundred and eighty northern youths accompanying her.
After settling in, she also issued orders to each prefecture to recommend five persons of outstanding virtue and conduct to report to the field office, bringing the total to two hundred.
Personnel resources had suddenly become plentiful.