In the present day, neither Zhù Ying nor Chen Meng needed to worry about violating the curfew. Chen Meng’s standing went without saying; at Zhù Ying’s rank, she too had been granted special permission for night travel — the capital was full of the powerful and influential, and many of them held such privileges.

In the end, Chen Meng came back to Zhù Ying’s home to beg a meal. He could see her spirits were a little low, and he wanted to keep “a good friend” company over dinner.

The two returned to the Zhù residence, where the fragrance of food was already drifting from within. Only then did they realize they were in fact rather hungry, and they exchanged a smile.

Chen Meng rubbed his nose. “Two meals collapsed into one — I intend to eat quite a lot.”

Zhù Ying said generously, “I may not have much else, but there’s always enough rice.”

Chen Meng said, “You ought to eat more finely these days. We grow a year older with each passing year — it’s time to start looking after yourself. We’re both at the age where we could be grandfathers — we can’t keep thinking of ourselves as young men.” He then cast a slightly envious look at Zhù Ying. Insufferable! She still looked so young!

Zhù Ying said, “I eat quite well.”

“Fine food finely prepared, delicacies expertly cut.” Chen Meng held to the teachings of the sages.

Zhù Ying felt her own table suited her perfectly well — polished rice, fine flour, fish, meat, fruits and vegetables, and greens besides. And Li Daniang’s cooking was not lacking either.

She had never cared to argue over such details, and simply smiled. “Tonight, whatever you choose to find fault with, you’ll be eating exactly what I eat.”

Chen Meng shook his head with a smile. “It doesn’t matter what we eat — what matters is who we eat with. At midday I was genuinely afraid we’d end up having dinner at the Yan family’s.”

Their exchange drifted to the ears of those in the household. Xiang Le’s mind began to turn: this was my negligence. When I first came to my lord’s side, it was to serve her — but how could I, once she gave me an official post, have grown so careless? Tomorrow I’ll have the shop’s people search the capital for a skilled cook.

Dinner was laid at the Zhù residence, and host and guest took their seats. Su Zhe and the others joined them at the table.

Zhù Ying surveyed the hall and felt that her people were still too few. Su Zhe and Lin Feng were beginning to take on the bearing of adults, and there were Zhao Su and the others who were not in the residence — yet the whole still felt too thin, too weak.

She was also too far from Wuzhou and from the estate, and had been away from home too long. Not having returned in so long, she could not help but feel anxious — anxious about the morale of those at the estate. Autumn was nearly upon them; this autumn and winter she ought to rotate the attendants between the capital and the estate again, as she had done before. She would also need to write home and arrange several matters…

The attendants brought out the evening’s dishes, and Zhù Ying gathered her thoughts.

Despite all of this, Chen Meng ate without any fuss — he was genuinely hungry, and he drank no wine. He first ate half a bowl of rice before his chopsticks slowed. “As for the Eastern Palace — how do you plan to approach things with him?”

“Let it rest a couple of days first. There needs to be a pretext. The Ministry of Revenue has so many matters — there must always be some arrangement made.”

So the Crown Prince was still lingering in the Ministry of Revenue? Chen Meng shook his head with a smile. “Your…Well, fine. Tomorrow I’ll have a talk with him.”

Chen Meng’s expression became serious. “What he did today was very poorly handled. I have a duty to counsel him — are you coming?”

“No — let’s approach it from different angles.”

“Understood. Ah — His Majesty’s health is far worse than before.”

Zhù Ying said, “If he were truly well, it wouldn’t have come to holding court only once every five days.”

“The question is how long he can hold on.”

Once again, all the great affairs of the realm hung upon an unremarkable man. Zhù Ying said, “He has been considerably clearer-headed than before. At least he hasn’t elevated the Prince of Wei to power. If the day ever comes when he suddenly hands the Imperial Guards over to the Prince of Wei or the Prince of Qi, we can start worrying then. The Prince of Wei was lobbying His Majesty not long ago to promote members of the imperial clan — and the intent behind it was clearly himself.”

Chen Meng suddenly found his food hard to swallow. “Hmph. Clever people outwitting themselves — who in their right mind would hand their life and livelihood to a brother at a time like this? My only worry is the Prince of Qi — I hope he doesn’t make the wrong move.”

“Keep an eye on him.”

“Mmm.”

The two exchanged a few more pieces of information. Chen Meng gradually recovered his appetite, and after finishing the last bowl of soup, he patted his belly and said, “I should be heading back.”

Zhù Ying walked him to the gate. On the way out, Chen Meng was still offering counsel. “Your household — even if you don’t want a wife, surely you need at least one or two trusted people to attend you personally? And this whole establishment of yours — who will you hand it to someday? It’s time to think about raising heirs.”

Zhù Ying said, “No wine and you’re already speaking nonsense?”

“No one else dares say this to you — only I, thick-skinned as I am. Consider me drunk if you like — wine loosens the tongue, they say. Will that do?”

“Fine. Safe travels.”

Chen Meng was silenced.

——

Wife, heirs — all of it passed through her like the autumn wind. Zhù Ying did not care. What occupied her now was the Crown Prince.

She found this whole business of the imperial family thoroughly tiresome — yet she could not allow them to stumble just yet. They still had to be managed, lest they stir up another heap of trouble.

Affairs of state could not be considered on their own merits — one also had to account for a factor that was entirely beyond prediction: the emperor’s remaining years. That was what made it so insufferable.

The emperor’s survival meant one set of approaches; the Crown Prince’s accession meant another entirely. Zhù Ying was willing to wager that half the people in this capital had part of their minds occupied with exactly that question. How much real work was being lost to it.

Even political infighting would be preferable — at least it was only words being traded.

Beside the Crown Prince was Xian Jing, a man who had long since lost himself. Zhù Ying did not know how much of Wang Yunhe’s teachings still remained in him, but the Crown Prince could not possibly abandon Xian Jing entirely. The Prince of Zhao and his son had always held a weak base of support — if they hadn’t, establishing the Prince of Zhao as Crown Prince back then would not have been such a drawn-out affair.

The Crown Prince would of course not give up Xian Jing.

The Crown Prince was growing impatient right now — though in truth there was no need. His degree of urgency offered no constructive benefit whatsoever, given his capabilities.

Zhù Ying pulled a document from the shelf. It was an old matter from the Ministry of Revenue that Xiang Le had brought to her attention, and it was now ready to serve a purpose.

Then she took out writing paper and began composing a letter to Wuzhou. Her correspondence with Wuzhou was frequent, given the distance of three thousand li — frequent, that is, by any objective measure, yet always feeling inadequate for the task of managing a household so far away. Each letter had to be long and thorough.

By the time she finished writing, the night had grown deep. Zhù Ying snuffed out the candle and rose from the study.

The following day was neither the fifth nor the tenth of the month, so there was no morning court. Zhù Ying presided over the Ministry of Revenue’s morning meeting. Summer was nearly over; autumn was coming, and the second half of the year’s official stipend preparations had to begin.

Zhù Ying mentioned the grain storage matter from last night’s document with studied casualness. “That location hasn’t been touched in a very long time. If the grain sits too long and spoils, that would be wasteful. It’s best to cycle it out gradually — replace the old with the new. Draw from that supply first to begin preparations, and get the aged grain moved out.”

When she had received her own grain rations in the past, they had often been mixed with a good portion of aged stock — that was standard practice. Grain had to be constantly consumed and replenished. What she was arranging now was entirely in keeping with the Ministry’s normal procedures. The only slight variation was that she had pointed to a particular warehouse. This was not a remarkable warehouse — it had, if anything, a notably low profile.

“Yes, my lord.”

She knew there was something wrong with this location. Within a few days, it was bound to come to light, and then she could use the opportunity to set certain things in motion.

Everything else was routine official business. The budget had also been completed. Zhù Ying said, “Let us go through it once more. When it goes before His Majesty, there must be no errors — we cannot tax His Majesty’s attention.”

Everyone understood perfectly. The emperor’s condition made such work unsuitable for him — even at his best he could not have managed it properly. What was needed was a budget that was simple, clear, and unimpeachable at a glance.

The Ministry of Revenue grew busy.

At the same time, Chen Meng did not go to see the emperor — he went directly to the Eastern Palace. To counsel.

Xian Jing had not yet learned that the Crown Prince had left the palace the previous day. It was not until Chen Meng showed up at the door that Xian Jing, in his role as Chief Steward of the Eastern Palace, felt that it was not quite proper for the Capital Prefect to approach the Crown Prince directly — and only then learned that the Crown Prince had slipped out of the palace again, bringing a palace consort with him, and had gone to her family home at that.

“Only two guards?” Xian Jing was aghast.

Chen Meng said with a stern face, “With female attendants present as well — how could two guards manage if anything happened?”

Xian Jing was even more agitated than Chen Meng. “Your Highness! For a white dragon to disguise itself as a fish is improper in itself! To move about so carelessly — what of His Majesty and the Empress’s peace of mind? What of the dynasty’s foundations?”

The Crown Prince waved a hand. “I know, I know — it’s not as though I’ve never gone out before!”

Chen Meng said, “Before, I was unaware. But yesterday was reckless. His Majesty is unwell — I feared that telling him might worsen his condition, and so I have not yet reported this matter. This is to be a single exception, never to occur again. Should Your Highness wish to leave the palace in future, a full procession need not be assembled, but please do give advance notice. Otherwise, the capital prefecture also has grounds for censure.”

The Crown Prince had no choice but to say, “I understand, I understand, it won’t happen again.”

Chen Meng, seeing that his point had been made, took his leave promptly. He left behind Xian Jing, who proceeded to lecture the Crown Prince at length. Xian Jing was not opposed to the Crown Prince leaving the palace — keeping the Crown Prince confined to the palace was not right either; the Crown Prince should know something of the world and the common people’s lives. But he should not act so carelessly.

The Crown Prince was lectured in turns by two people, though fortunately neither of them wanted to make a spectacle of the matter — it was a private rebuke, nothing had been made public.

While the Crown Prince felt relieved, he was also thinking: Zhù Ying had been there yesterday too — surely she would not say anything either? This person was capable, but difficult to read. She had clearly accepted his precious pearl — so why did she still pay him no special attention?

Before long, he would have a chance to spend time with Zhù Ying.

——

The trap Zhù Ying had planted herself was sprung by herself not long after.

The problem with the grain storage, having been discovered as an internal audit by the Ministry of Revenue, could be traced back many years. Both Dou Peng and Xian Jing could extricate themselves from it fairly easily. But the officials’ stipends were now a pressing matter.

Zhù Ying had Du Shi’en inquire into the emperor’s current condition, and chose the moment when the emperor was suffering from dizziness and throbbing headaches to make a hurried visit. She laid before the emperor, all at once: the main Ministry of Revenue business of the annual budget, the grain storage “case,” together with the funding arrangements for establishing formal residences for the third imperial prince — soon to be titled Prince of Yong — and the emperor’s second daughter, Princess Gong’an.

At that same moment, Dou Peng was in the middle of his own report — as the harvest approached, he had received dispatches from various places reporting disasters and requesting relief. Then Chen Meng, at precisely that moment, submitted a report on several cases of “powerful households behaving unlawfully,” including a case of the Prince of Wei’s household servants riding roughshod through the streets and injuring people, and a case of the Prince of Qi illegally seizing farmland. He asked the emperor to support his efforts to maintain order in the capital and to issue a formal reprimand to the imperial clan and noble families.

In a nation this vast, matters arising every single day were perfectly normal. As long as Zhù Ying and Chen Meng piled up a mass of business at the same moment, even a capable emperor would be hard pressed — for an unremarkable one, it was guaranteed to be overwhelming.

This was how experienced minor clerks dealt with superiors who had never soiled their hands with actual work.

Zhù Ying also made a show of accepting blame. “This minister is at fault — for failing to discover this sooner. I await Your Majesty’s judgment on how best to proceed.”

Dou Peng bore some responsibility here as well. He lowered his voice to ask Zhù Ying, “Where exactly does the discrepancy lie?”

“The accounts themselves contain no errors — but the physical stores were long since pilfered. It is my fault for not dispatching someone to conduct on-site inspections sooner.”

The emperor’s head was splitting. Dou Peng alone could not have managed so many things simultaneously. Without any prior arrangement between them, both men looked toward the Crown Prince. When the emperor could not govern, it would naturally fall to the Crown Prince.

The emperor said, “Yaoshi.”

The Crown Prince stepped forward.

The emperor said, “Discuss these matters with them and report back to me. Look into it properly. Zhù Ying — you were so good at investigating cases at the Court of Judicial Review, weren’t you?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Crown Prince was ordinarily present at morning court and participated in state deliberations, but he had never taken independent charge of affairs. And since the emperor had only been ill for a relatively short time, there had been no immediate move to have the Crown Prince act as regent.

Now that the Crown Prince had received the emperor’s explicit sanction to participate, he was in high spirits — even if it was not a formal decree to act as regent.

Dou Peng thought to himself: just as well. The Crown Prince is at least sharper than His Majesty. Guiding him early is no bad thing.

Zhù Ying and Chen Meng exchanged a glance: good — now they could freely coax — that is to say, guide — the Crown Prince.

The emperor held his aching head and shooed them all out.

The group filed out together, and the Crown Prince made a point of telling Du Shi’en to look after the emperor well before leaving with the others.

Chen Meng said, “Then I will return to the capital prefectural office to prepare the case files.”

Zhù Ying said, “The Ministry of Revenue is nearby — please, Your Highness, come to the Ministry first, and I will explain the details.”

Dou Peng said, “Both of you, apply yourselves diligently.”

The skin of his jowls sagged even further than usual. He looked, somehow, rather pitiable.

Zhù Ying said, “Minister, rest assured — I have a way to handle this without delaying the stipend payments. The difficulty is that it concerns the stipends of all officials, which naturally draws attention. Rather than have His Majesty hear others’ complaints and grow anxious, it was better to inform him directly first.”

Dou Peng relaxed. “Very well then. Explain the situation carefully to His Highness.”

Zhù Ying escorted the Crown Prince to the Ministry of Revenue.

The Crown Prince maintained a stiff bearing at first, but as they neared the Ministry, he could not help asking, “If a remedy is already in place, what are we actually here to do? Root out the offenders and appoint replacements?”

“I will first explain to Your Highness the matter of the two Highnesses’ residence establishments. His Majesty’s greatest concern is for these two. If he sees that you are taking care of your younger siblings, he will surely be pleased. And once reassured, his condition may even ease somewhat. For your father’s sake, seeing your brother’s and sister’s affairs settled first is the right approach.” Zhù Ying said.

The Crown Prince considered this, then nodded. “Agreed.”

A moment later, the two arrived at the Ministry of Revenue. The officials within all came out to receive them.

Zhù Ying said, “Have those case files brought out and readied. Your Highness, please.”

The two entered Zhù Ying’s office. She first offered tea to the Crown Prince, then said, “I had a plan of action before I ever dared bring this before His Majesty, or I would not have placed it before him. So Your Highness need not be in any great hurry to report back — there is time enough. More than enough, in fact — you have time for something else besides.”

She brought out the files relating to Prince Yong and Princess Gong’an and handed them to the Crown Prince. “This matter has long been in preparation — there are no oversights. Just now His Majesty was in no state for further explanation. Please be sure to commit this to memory. The amount is less than the Prince of Qi’s, in keeping with the order of seniority, and also in light of the many current demands on the treasury — a measure of economy is required. This reflects the imperial family’s care for the people.”

The Crown Prince set down his tea and flipped through the files briefly. “I’ll have it memorized by tonight.”

Zhù Ying produced another document. “The official stipend disbursements have been arranged — Your Highness may report back to His Majesty whenever you choose. However, I would not recommend doing so just yet. You have time, and I would like to ask you to step outside the palace for a while.”

“Oh?”

“Did you not want to see the lives of the common poor?”

“Well… yes…” That had been an excuse at the time — but now the Crown Prince realized that it also meant a chance to spend time with Zhù Ying, and he quickly said, “Then I would trouble the Minister to arrange it.”

“I would not presume to call it trouble — it is simply my duty.”

The Crown Prince put on an attitude of earnest humility and asked, “What does the Minister wish to teach me?”

“Among the Six Ministries, the Ministry of Personnel stands first, and the Ministry of Revenue second — this alone speaks to its importance. Xian Steward Xian once served in the Ministry of Revenue and has surely already told Your Highness something of it. How much does Your Highness know about the Ministry of Revenue at present?”

The Crown Prince said, “He did explain some things — in fragments.”

Zhù Ying said, “I do not know how much he has conveyed to Your Highness. But I will begin from what Your Highness most needs to know and can most readily understand. It will not take too much of your time.”

The Crown Prince said with pleasure, “Excellent! Where do we begin?” Xian Jing had taught him the Ministry of Revenue’s basic structure, its functions, and its ordinary operations. The Crown Prince was eager to put his hand to something himself.

Zhù Ying looked the Crown Prince over and said, “Tomorrow. Today, please first read through these two files, so that if His Majesty asks about them tomorrow morning, you will have a reply ready. If tomorrow His Majesty has no other plans for you and you have no pressing business, come and find me after morning court, and we will go outside the palace. Plain clothes will do — bring a unit of guards, and we will go see the grain stores first. That is a matter requiring a formal report. If time permits afterward, we can also look at conditions among the common people.”

“Excellent!” said the Crown Prince.