Zhù Ying made a gesture; Zhuo Que still had a trace of anxiety on his face, but closed his mouth and followed Zhù Ying into the reception hall.

Zhù Ying had not gone to change clothes first. In the hall she asked for the full account: “Who came, what news did they bring, and what evidence do they carry?”

Zhù Wen took her hat and held it, glancing Zhuo Que up and down. She looked up to see that Su Zhe, Lin Feng, and the others had also returned. She set the hat aside, stepped forward to meet them, and murmured with Su Zhe and Lin Feng. Lin Feng was carrying a paper parcel and asked: “Where is A’Fa? I brought him something good to eat!”

Zhù Wen said: “He is fretting away in his room — the master is back and will be checking today’s lesson.”

Lin Feng said with a measure of schadenfreude: “Ha! About time it was someone else’s turn.”

Su Zhe asked: “Is that Zhuo Gentleman? What is the matter?”

Zhù Wen lowered her voice and explained. Lin Feng said: “Odd — I heard nothing of this.”

Su Zhe said: “Perhaps the report has not yet reached the court. They want to get ahead of it and ask A’Weng to intercept the matter? Shall we go in and listen?”

“Let’s.” Lin Feng agreed.

The two sauntered into the hall and told Zhù Ying: “We are back” — each then reported that nothing of consequence had happened at their respective offices that day.

Zhù Ying thought to herself: The greatest matter today was being summoned by the Council of State — what else could rival that?

One look at these two, and she knew they intended to linger and hear what was said; so she did not send them away, and continued questioning Zhuo Que: “Does Cai Yizhen actually have anything like that to his name? Go and make things clear before coming back to report to me. If it is claimed that others have framed him, then those others will certainly have manufactured solid evidence. To refute it, one must have something real in hand. Since word has been got through to us, and as long as Jiang’an has not quietly disposed of the man, arriving in the capital still leaves the chance to right the wrong.

So long as they have done nothing that outrages heaven and human reason, I can smooth out any trouble for them. But with me, they must be completely honest — there must be no concealment. Otherwise, I will deal with them myself.”

Zhuo Que looked at Zhù Ying, bowed, and said: “Yes.”

Zhù Ying said to Zhù Wen: “Go to the accounts and withdraw some money — take it yourself to the association hall and settle the person in properly.”

“Yes.”

Zhuo Que said quickly: “No need — I have already paid for her board and lodging.”

Zhù Ying waved a hand: “How much money do you have? Go.”

Zhuo Que had no choice but to leave. Zhù Wen said: “Wait a moment for me, Gentleman Zhuo.”

Su Zhe and Lin Feng watched Zhuo Que depart. Su Zhe said: “A’Weng, there is something a little odd about this Gentleman Zhuo.”

“What is odd about him?” Zhù Ying asked.

Su Zhe said: “Everything A’Weng just questioned him about — should he not have asked all of that before coming here? If he were a novice, well enough — but he has managed affairs alongside A’Weng; after this long, how has he still not learned? It does not quite add up. I think… could it be that this Cai Yizhen is not as innocent as he claims?”

Lin Feng also frowned: “Now that you put it that way — there is something to it. Oh! I see it now! Hah!”

Was this not a case of the fox exploiting the tiger’s might — while the tiger sat there quite oblivious to what the fox was getting up to underneath?

Lin Feng grew angry: “How dishonest! If A’Weng protects him without asking a single question and it turns out Cai Yizhen has also done something wrong — would A’Weng’s reputation not suffer as well?”

Zhù Ying said: “These are only your conjectures. One cannot convict someone on the basis of conjecture.”

Lin Feng began to grumble. Zhù Ying said: “Since the two of you see it this way, when Zhù Wen comes back, you two go and find her — go and investigate Cai Yizhen’s affair.”

Lin Feng was eager: “Really?”

“Mm.”

Su Zhe was pleased as well: “Wonderful! I was just at loose ends!” After enfeoffing the rear palace, the Ministry of Rites had nothing further for her. These days she was at the Ministry of Rites reading through ritual regulations after ritual regulations. Reading along, one tended to feel a sourness about it all. Zhù Ying read matters of “ritual” and found them irksome; Su Zhe was a “barbarian” by the court’s reckoning, which was one more layer of irritation on top of that. Being able to do something else for a bit of air would be welcome.

Lin Feng asked: “Can you get away?”

“Yao Uniminister does not require me to report every single day.”

Zhù Ying said: “Then that is settled. Tomorrow have Zhao Su, Zhao Zhen, and the others come by.”

“Oh?” Su Zhe let out a syllable, then said: “Good! I will see my uncle early in the morning.”

Lin Feng said: “Then I will go find Brother A’Zhen tomorrow.”

Zhù Ying gave a nod and went back to the inner quarters to change her clothes, then went to the guest wing where Lang Rui and the others were staying and pulled them out: “To the study — hand in your lessons.”

Lu Danqing was slightly older than Lang Rui, and her lessons were the best. The girls around Zhù Ying always seemed to be a cut above the rest in their drive to excel. Lu Danqing had regular, well-proportioned features, and still a short stature — but she had spent several years studying at the establishment of Hua Jie. Su Mingluan’s letter said that if she stayed in the mountains any longer, at her age she would easily be married off and have children, and all these years of learning would go to waste; so she had talked Lu Guo into sending her.

Lang Rui, like Su Zhe, called Zhù Ying “A’Weng,” and was of a sturdy build — for a person from the south he counted as tall, and in the capital would not immediately draw comments about his height.

Xi Jin’s son was called Jin Yu — not the Jin Yu who had once played with Lin Feng in earlier days. Only when he came to the capital did everyone learn that the previous Jin Yu had died of illness. Among the customs of the various mountain peoples, there was no strong sense of taboo around names — it was quite common to give a child or younger relative a deceased person’s name as a form of commemoration.

Since they were coming to the capital, names that sounded acceptable were needed. Xi Jin had thought it over and, not trusting his own name choices, noticed there was a ready-made name at hand — and so gave the name to this Jin Yu.

All three had a decent foundation. Zhù Ying reviewed their work, gave them explanations of the new lessons, and that was that.

When the lesson was finished, dinner could be had.

The three let their relief show on their faces. Lang Rui was the most bold and asked Zhù Ying: “A’Weng, I heard that the six arts of a gentleman — driving a carriage is no longer emphasized now, but what about riding horses?”

Zhù Ying smiled: “That will not be forgotten. The day after tomorrow is a rest day — come with me to choose horses, one for each of you.”

The three cheered together.

Given the terrain of their homeland, Lang Rui and the others, though certainly not short of horses to ride in Wuzhou, had heard from Lin Feng about galloping freely across open ground and were stirred with longing.

After Zhù Ying returned from the northern region, she had expanded her stud farm somewhat, and it now contained quite a few fine horses. There was no longer any need for someone like Marquis Zheng to come and give her good horses as gifts — she could give horses to others herself.

After dinner, Zhù Ying met a number of guests who came to call. As the evening curfew approached, the guests left one by one. Zhù Ying then went out through the gate with Hu Shijie and Su Zhe.

After the curfew, the capital was silent beyond the ward gates. On the road a squad of constables rushed toward them: “Who goes there!”

Hu Shijie stepped forward and produced her credentials. The constables saw the shape of the credentials and relaxed their stern expressions before even finishing their look — and then they recognized Hu Shijie: “Mistress Hu!”

Zhù Ying made regular visits to the Capital Prefecture yamen; its constables even knew her attendants by sight.

A few words of greeting were exchanged; the squad stepped aside, and Zhù Ying gave them a nod and spurred her horse onward with the two following.

The road was quiet and the three rode at a gallop. Su Zhe noticed the road becoming increasingly familiar, and at last they stopped before Yang Jing’s residence.

Zhù Ying dismounted. Hu Shijie went to knock at the gate. The gatekeeper of the Yang residence had not expected guests at this hour and asked with uncertain surprise: “Who is it?!”

Su Zhe bounded to the gate: “Old Qi? It is me!”

“Hmm?”

The gate was opened a crack, and the gatekeeper, Old Qi, held up a lantern: “Mistress Su? Why have you come at this hour? Has something happened? Come in quickly!”

“Do not be alarmed — I am escorting A’Weng.”

“Eh?” Old Qi raised the lantern and looked again. “Oh my goodness…”

Zhù Ying asked: “Is Master Yang at home?”

“Yes — yes.” Old Qi pushed a page boy with one hand. “Go look after the masters’ horses.” And with the other hand carried the lantern to guide Zhù Ying.

Yang Jing had not yet retired either — dressed in plain scholars’ robes and in the middle of composing a letter. When Old Qi announced Zhù Ying’s arrival, Yang Jing set down his brush and came out in person to receive her: “How is it that Zi Zhang has come himself?”

Su Zhe could have come alone on Su Zhe’s own business; for Zhù Ying to come in person, Yang Jing instinctively sensed another matter was at hand.

Zhù Ying smiled and went inside. Yang Jing gestured for her to sit, and they faced each other, Su Zhe taking a seat below them. Yang Jing waited until tea was served, and then said: “Your timing is fortunate — I have just received a letter from my teacher.”

“Oh? Where has the old gentleman gone to enjoy himself now?”

“When one enjoys oneself, where does one stop? He has been to many places — there is praise and there is blame. I only just read that he has gone to the northern region again, and says the northern people miss Zi Zhang greatly!”

Zhù Ying asked: “How does the north fare?”

“Well, by his account.”

Zhù Ying gave a nod: “Leave the letter for now — tonight I came because there is a matter I wish to discuss with you.”

“What matter?”

Zhù Ying said: “The Imperial Academy — how do you intend to go forward with it? How much more will it cost? How will the money be spent?”

Yang Jing pulled his upper body back, wary: “What? Is the court going to cut funding on this?”

Zhù Ying made a halting gesture: “When have I ever short-changed you? For the rear palace enfeoffment — His Majesty has just ascended the throne, and this first occasion has to be presentable. As for him wishing to be extravagant in future, that I will not agree to.”

Yang Jing was reassured and asked: “Then what do you mean?”

“How much you need — let us work it out, and I will disburse it to you first.”

Yang Jing became grave: “Has something happened to you? You come in such haste, and bring only two women with you. Tell me — is there some danger? Speak plainly — we can think of something together. Carrying everything yourself, doing favors for others — do you want people to feel indebted? You are not so petty a person.”

Zhù Ying could not suppress a laugh: “For me to do something for you, I need you to remember the favor! Don’t I?”

“Then is this the Ministry of Revenue?”

Zhù Ying said: “Stop guessing. While I still have it in hand, let me disburse it to you first.”

Today the Council of State had called her in for a conversation, and she felt that her tenure at the Ministry of Revenue might not last much longer. When the Chancellors’ opinions converged on something, they could decide almost everything under heaven. She had managed to hold them off until she could finish mapping out conditions across the localities — that was already a concession on their part.

Though she did not yet know apart from the Capital Prefecture what else they might assign her, she had to first make arrangements for certain things.

One of these was the matter Yang Jing was working on. This matter had stuck in the craw of quite a few people, and cutting off the funding was a fairly effective way to strangle it. It took ten years to grow a tree and a hundred to raise a man — Yang Jing’s work had only just begun to bear early fruits, and much remained to be done ahead. Zhù Ying hoped to seize the time and disburse the grain and funds to Yang Jing first; that way, even after she left the Ministry of Revenue, Yang Jing could sustain himself for a period until some new turn of fortune arrived.

She had her own estimate and drew a sheet of paper from her sleeve: “Have a look — will this do?”

Yang Jing took it with suspicion and looked: “Oh my!” It was not a small sum.

He grew even more suspicious: “Speak plainly! Otherwise I cannot take this with an easy conscience.”

Zhù Ying said: “Cannot say. But as far as I am concerned, it should not be a bad thing. I ask your indulgence. Simply take it with a calm heart.”

Yang Jing stared fixedly at Zhù Ying. Zhù Ying met his gaze with a look of perfect composure. Yang Jing stared for a long while, then said irritably: “Forgot — you are not a student from the schoolroom!” If this were one of his students, one look would have sent them to their knees. Zhù Ying merely seemed young — she was not actually young.

Zhù Ying could not stop laughing: “Write me a formal document following this figure. You submit the document, I disburse the grain and funds. Good night.”

The next day, Zhù Ying began to attend to various matters — all similar in nature to her arrangements with Yang Jing.

In the afternoon she also slipped away for a visit to Wen Yue’s barracks to look in on the young men from the northern region.

By evening, Zhao Su and the others arrived as arranged.

Although all of them had been brought into the court through Zhù Ying’s efforts, she did not require them to report to her home every day — each had his own affairs to manage. Now that Zhù Ying had summoned them, they all guessed she had made some arrangement.

Zhao Su and Zhao Zhen had their own conjectures before they came. Shi Kun was gone; the court faced a reshuffling. Without Shi Kun, a large group of people had lost their patron, their guidance, and their protection — and variables would emerge.

The moment the two arrived at the Zhù residence, they found that only a few people were present — all of them “veterans.” They knew their guess was not wrong. A sense of weighty responsibility settled over them, alongside a surging ambition to set the course of events. Once they had been nothing but small southern figures, dismissed as coming from a mist-shrouded, pestilential backwater. Now they could genuinely “direct the course of events”!

The words they spoke now could, through Zhù Ying, influence the policies of the court.

Zhao Su spoke first: “Did A’Weng summon us because of the old Chancellor Shi? With him gone, the court will look quite different.”

To their surprise, Zhù Ying said: “That is not it.”

“Hmm?”

Zhù Ying asked: “Cai Yizhen — how much do you know of him?”

Zhao Zhen said: “Not much — he seems to be a fellow southerner.”

Zhao Su added: “Because he is a southerner I paid slightly more attention. I have met him, but he did not strike me as particularly sharp. An ordinary, unremarkable official.”

Only then did Zhù Ying explain the Cai Yizhen affair, after which she let Su Zhe give her account. Su Zhe said: “I went to the association hall and looked. The one who came is a trusted serving woman of his wife — she says he has been wronged. I questioned her carefully: it seems he simply could not outmaneuver others. His hands were not as dirty as theirs, his grip not as strong. From the way the woman looked, she seemed to be holding something back. I will go find her again tomorrow for a more thorough inquiry.”

Zhao Su sighed: “How can these people compare with those A’Weng has personally cultivated? Yet when it comes to needing people, one cannot avoid the bad mixed in with the good.”

Zhao Zhen said: “And this Zhuo Que as well — so careless. How could he fail to ask all the right questions first? He only saw ‘fellow southerner’ and heard ‘southerner’ and felt he had to lend a hand.”

Zhao Su said carefully: “Even so — one cannot entirely ignore the matter. So many southerners are watching.”

Zhù Ying said to Su Zhe: “Tomorrow you go back to the association hall.”

“Yes.”

Zhù Ying said to Zhao Zhen: “Zhuo Que is not entirely wrong. Fellow townsfolk helping one another is a matter of natural feeling. Southerners already find official careers harder than those elsewhere — it is understandable that he would care. But the longer one does a thing, the more one tends to reduce complexity into simplicity and stop being thorough. This is a serious failing. All of you must take this as a warning. As for him, I will speak with him — you yourselves must also stay alert.”

“Yes.”

Zhù Ying also spoke of Xian Jing: “Once he was such an admirable man — look what he has become now. I have no wish to become like Xian Jing. Neither must you — in the end swayed and carried along by others, not knowing whether one is serving as a Chancellor or laboring as a servant.”

The two responded with a respectful start and declared their assent.

Zhù Ying smiled: “Very good.”

Now she too had something of a small “southern faction.” As the numbers grew larger and the enterprise more sprawling, a “standard” was needed to keep everyone in line. She was their leader, owing them something of a debt of appreciation and patronage. They gathered around her and would not easily betray her.

And then?

In the later wave of bringing people in, she had intentionally set the criteria somewhat broadly. That is to say, these people could have this flaw or that one. Flaws meant needs; needs meant the desire for protection. At the same time, she had no choice — she did not control the Ministry of Personnel and had no way to scrutinize candidates carefully.

Turnips pulled up in haste come with dirt still clinging.

She had never before gathered such a large group of “followers,” and had to proceed one step at a time, adjusting as she went.

The Cai Yizhen affair had served as a reminder: just because southerners were willing to attach themselves to her did not mean their characters were necessarily admirable. The overwhelming majority of the court were ordinary people, and when met with temptation, it was quite common to cross a line — human nature could not withstand testing. Their reason for seeking her out was not without a calculation of personal benefit.

Those who were heavily interested in gain tended to lose their sense of right and wrong.

Previously, when she had had Zhao Su feel out the southerners’ situation, the focus had been mainly on ability and official performance — and Zhuo Que had practically written “mutual aid among southerners” across his face.

Now Zhù Ying needed to rearrange her layout somewhat.

She needed a group of “trustworthy” people to carry out a “supervision” of the “followers.” Zhao Su, Zhao Zhen, and Su Zhe were all people she had chosen for this purpose.

Zhao Su would mainly handle assessing each person’s abilities. Zhao Zhen and Su Zhe would be charged with keeping an eye out for matters of character and illegal conduct.

Su Zhe asked: “Then what of Gentleman Zhuo?”

Zhù Ying said: “He goes on doing what he is supposed to do. It is not as though we are done with the southerners.”

All three relaxed and laughed: “He is fine at what he does — only he has indeed gone somewhat too far in reducing things to their simplest form. A bit more care and he would be quite all right.”

The next day, a rest day, Zhù Ying brought Lu Danqing and the others along to choose horses, and had Zhuo Que come as escort.

Zhuo Que had been uneasy these past days, uncertain what Zhù Ying intended. Watching Lu Danqing try a horse, he remarked: “That horse is a bit tall for her — she would do better with a shorter one.”

Then he brought up Cai Yizhen again: “The servant could not explain things clearly. This…”

Zhù Ying said: “Have his servant file a complaint formally with the Court of Judicial Review. Pei Tan has just taken up his post there — he will surely be eager to establish his authority.”

“Yes.”

Zhù Ying said at a measured pace: “And what of yourself?”

“Me? I have not committed any offense.”

“You have never served in a local post — that is a gap in your record. It is not good. You must serve at least one term in a local capacity, or else you will be deceived by things that happen in the localities. Better to serve a few years locally, starting from a subordinate post, and gain some experience.”

“Yes.”

Zhù Ying said: “I will arrange a posting for you. Go and do your work earnestly. You have seen Cai Yizhen’s case — go out there and keep your own counsel. If anything arises, write back promptly.”

Only then did Zhuo Que break into a smile: “Yes.”

Before long, Lu Danqing had made her choice — she ended up taking one of the large horses after all. Lang Rui and Jin Yu were the same; none of them cared for the smaller horses.

Zhù Ying laughed: “All right, then — so be it.”

She also had Zhuo Que pick a horse for himself to use on the road.

Zhù Ying was not one to make empty promises to Zhuo Que. Once the horses were chosen, she went to Chen Meng’s home — this visit had two purposes: one was to arrange Zhuo Que’s transfer out of the capital, and the other was to have Gu Tong recalled to the capital.

Gu Tong had been placed by her in a post outside the capital for quite some time — it was now time to bring him back.

Chen Meng did not ask Zhù Ying why she was doing things in this order. He only said: “Why is there a sequence to it?”

Zhù Ying said: “When Zhuo Que was a student, Gu Tong was the local county magistrate. Transfer Gu Tong back first, so that teacher and student can meet before he leaves. Otherwise, with them parting in different directions, who knows when in this lifetime they might meet again.”

“Your heart is too careful by half.”