“He’s coming again?” Adjutant Pang could not contain himself even in the presence of his superior and blurted out in alarm.

Magistrate Xu’s own voice sounded rather deflated. “That’s right. It’s still Second Young Master Chen — bringing the conferral of the Governor of Wuzhou.”

Adjutant Pang said, “Wuzhou…”

Magistrate Xu thought to himself: it was fortunate that ever since that person came to Wuzhou, he had treated her with respectful deference and had not given her any cause for offense. Otherwise he truly didn’t know what measures she might have taken.

What was on Adjutant Pang’s mind was quite different: Second Young Master Chen had come through just recently and he’d already sent a gift then — how was he supposed to put together another gift so quickly?

Jiyuan Prefecture was much more prosperous than it had been in years past, but Magistrate Xu and Adjutant Pang didn’t dare to accumulate wealth too aggressively. As a result, the two of them were comfortable but by no means fabulously wealthy. After providing for their families, supporting their kin, and maintaining appearances, putting together two substantial gifts in quick succession was genuinely a strain on the purse.

The Adjutant was still in anguish over the expense when Magistrate Xu had already spoken: “Quickly — make proper preparations.”

He had one more thought than Adjutant Pang: also prepare a gift to send into the mountains to congratulate the new Governor of Wuzhou on her appointment. Having such a neighbor was an unpredictable matter of fortune and danger, but supplying her respectfully ought at least to reduce the likelihood of trouble.

The two men set about their preparations in separate directions. Jiyuan Prefecture had the foundations that Zhù Ying had laid — the officials had turned over somewhat in ten years, but the lower clerks and runners were all experienced hands, and the work of receiving guests was quickly arranged. When word came from the relay station that the party was approaching, Magistrate Xu and Adjutant Pang led everyone to meet them — and found with surprise that the entourage this time was somewhat larger than the last.

Adjutant Pang thought to himself: we’re in trouble — the amount I set aside is not going to be enough. I’ll have to add more.

He hurried to put a smile on his face and follow Magistrate Xu forward.

Chen Mei jumped off his horse. He caught the arm of Magistrate Xu, who had begun to bow, and steadied him: “You are too formal, Governor.”

Magistrate Xu smiled. “Not at all, not at all — ah? How is it that you’ve grown so gaunt? Was the journey too exhausting?”

Coming such a great distance from the north to the south — please don’t tell him the man had fallen ill or collapsed on the road and was going to die in Jiyuan Prefecture. His father would hold it against him forever. Magistrate Xu’s heart gave a lurch.

Chen Mei’s cheeks had drawn inward somewhat, and his complexion had deepened a shade. He smiled. “When I was a child, the elders used to say the summer takes the life out of you. Turns out they were right.”

Magistrate Xu said, “The south is damp and hot, and you’ve had a difficult journey. Let me first invite you into the city to rest, and I’ll send word to Wuzhou and look for a guide in the meantime.”

Chen Mei didn’t object. “Very well.”

Magistrate Xu also proposed arranging a banquet, but Chen Mei politely declined: “I’m afraid someone from their side may be coming to meet us in a hurry, and I may have to move on the day after tomorrow. I need to conserve my strength before going into the mountains.”

Magistrate Xu had no choice but to keep things simple — only he and Adjutant Pang and a few others accompanied Chen Mei for a plain dinner. The moment they left, Chen Mei pulled off his hat and tugged at his collar: “Why is it so hot?”

A servant said, “This is about as far south as you can go — it’s just hotter than up north. Once you’re in the mountains it’ll be cooler.”

The heat had been relentless the whole way. This trip south had been far worse than the last for Chen Mei. The previous time, he had taken in the scenery as he traveled and the climate had been fairly pleasant. This time the scenery along the road was scenery he had already seen, and on top of that there had been rain at intervals — and during the dry stretches, it only grew hotter and hotter. Everyone had lost weight. Two of the attendants had fallen ill en route and had to be left at a relay station to recover. By great fortune, no one had died along the way.

The servant said, “The water is ready.”

Chen Mei had just sunk himself into the bathing tub and closed his eyes to rest when the servant reported — Adjutant Pang had come calling.

Chen Mei’s eyes snapped open. He shot up out of the tub, and then suddenly realized he was in the middle of a bath. He grabbed his clothes and hurriedly threw them on in a heap.

Adjutant Pang had come to present a gift. He was inwardly wincing at the expense while maintaining a smile, and when he looked up and saw Chen Mei still drying his hair, he realized he had come at an awkward moment. He could only scramble to cover the situation with flattery: “The Duke of Zhou was said to wring out his wet hair three times during a single bath when welcoming guests — My Lord has the same admirable dedication.”

Flattery is something everyone loves to hear, and under other circumstances, if Chen Mei’s clothes hadn’t been in a jumbled mess, he might well have chatted with the man longer.

The two went through the pleasantries, then round after round of polite refusals, before Adjutant Pang left his gifts along with a great many compliments for both Chen Mei and his father, Chen Meng, and finally departed with evident reluctance.

Chen Mei yanked off his rumpled clothes and sank back into the tub — at which point Magistrate Xu also arrived. Chen Mei threw on those same damp clothes again.

The two of them exchanged pleasantries. Magistrate Xu had also come to present a gift, and after a round of demurrals, Chen Mei said, “I cannot accept a reward for work I have not yet done.”

Magistrate Xu said, “A reward always follows a service, and I do have one matter to humbly request of you.”

“What could possibly trouble the Governor these days?”

Magistrate Xu said, “Jiyuan Prefecture and Wuzhou are neighbors. That person — as you well know — I dare not offend her. Her subordinates, those mountain people, are meek and well-behaved in her presence, but toward me, I confess some anxiety. So I’ve also prepared a gift for her, to cultivate a measure of goodwill. But having had no prior dealings with her, I don’t know how to broach the subject. I wonder if you might serve as an intermediary on my behalf.”

Chen Mei did not agree immediately.

Magistrate Xu quickly added: “I still have to live as her neighbor! And Jiyuan Prefecture, Fulu County in particular — that is the very place where she made her name. I… find it difficult to move an inch. Please consider it for the sake of peace along the border.”

Chen Mei finally nodded: “Very well.”

Magistrate Xu was overjoyed. “Thank you so much!”

The following day, Chen Mei slept late and could not bring himself to leave the bed even when the sun was already high. This so alarmed the servants that they feared he too had fallen ill. Chen Mei finally roused himself, ate his meal at a leisurely pace, and said, “Stop making such a fuss around me. Pack up the luggage — we set out into the mountains tomorrow.”

A servant said in surprise, “The messenger hasn’t come back yet, and the guide hasn’t arrived either. Isn’t it too early to say that for certain? You’ve been on the road without a break — look at the state of you. What’s wrong with resting for another day or two?”

Chen Mei said, “First you tell me how cool the mountains are, then you tell me I should rest longer down here — you’ve covered every angle, haven’t you.”

The servant said plaintively, “That’s because I care about you!”

Master and servant went back and forth for a while. The servant couldn’t out-argue Chen Mei and went off to finish packing. For the mountains, he’d need spare changes of clothing; his personal effects had to be packed; the imperial edicts and official robes and the like would need to come too. Chen Mei, mindful of the lesson “three thousand li apart — say everything at once,” had even obtained the letters of commendation for Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Da. He personally checked these most important items himself.

There were also several letters — one from Chen Meng, one from Wang Shuliang — both of which Chen Mei kept on his own person, to be delivered directly to Zhù Ying when he saw her.

After another day of waiting, someone came out of the mountains to fetch him: Lu Danqing.

……

Having returned to Wuzhou, Lu Danqing’s appearance had also changed. The mountain peoples’ character came through more strongly in her now. In the capital, official outer robes had to fall to the ground; now hers ended three inches above the knee. Her shoes were different too, and she wore leggings. But her hair was not in the mountain women’s style — instead it was pinned up on top in a bun, with a single hairpin, just as Zhù Ying wore it.

A blade hung at her waist where ornamental jade would once have been. Her complexion was healthier and more flushed than in the capital. She smiled on sight: “Second Young Master, it’s been a while.”

Chen Mei said, “Not too terribly long — here I am, aren’t I?”

Lu Danqing said, “To make you come all this way, there must be good news.”

Chen Mei said, “There is.”

Lu Danqing brightened. “Come on then, I’ll show you the way. Little Sister went home to help her mother. Cousin Zhao Su has something that kept him — it’s just me.”

She had brought twenty vigorous and capable local soldiers. Chen Mei noted they were all bearing proper weapons, their clothes reasonably neat, and every one of them wore shoes.

Lu Danqing also inspected the luggage Chen Mei had brought and confirmed what needed to be taken into the mountains, then went to find a pack team.

They traveled through the Thread of Sky again. The closer they got to it, the more clouds gathered overhead. Lu Danqing said, “This is not good — we need to pick up the pace. The mountains get rain more easily than down below. If rain catches us on the mountain path, the going gets very dangerous.”

The group hurried their steps, pushing as hard as they could. Midway through the Thread of Sky, rain began to fall. Lu Danqing kept urging them on. She needed no urging from Chen Mei — he knew perfectly well how dangerous this place was. By the time they reached the small, simple checkpoint, the rain was already heavy, and a scattering of rocks had begun to tumble down from the slopes above.

Past the checkpoint, a large tree came sliding down the hillside of a nearby slope.

Chen Mei’s face had gone rather pale. “The raw power of heaven and earth…”

Lu Danqing said, “Once we’ve made it this far, we’re already in the safe zone! Every year there’s rain in the mountains, every year there’s this kind of thing. Over the years, it becomes clear which places are livable and which are not. Our county seat is very safe, and the main settlements of each clan are fine too. If you ever find yourself in a flat, open area with no settlement nearby, don’t linger — especially not in the rain.”

Chen Mei still had his oilcloth cape on, but the dampness wrapped around him from all sides. It was cold.

By the time it was fully dark, he arrived at the county seat. By the light of the torches, he could make out the two characters “Zhù County.”

He had expected that with the rain, the residents would all be indoors. Instead, many people seemed to have just come from some kind of gathering and were hurrying home. At the city gate, they nearly jostled Chen Mei’s group to one side.

Chen Mei couldn’t make much sense of the mountain dialect, and the Zhù County residents — most of whom could sing a little of the literacy songs — were communicating in a mix of whatever languages they happened to speak. Chen Mei could only ask Lu Danqing, who said, “The autumn harvest. Everyone is hoping this rain stops soon — if it doesn’t, the grain can’t be dried out, and it’ll mold.”

Lu Danqing brought Chen Mei to the Zhù residence. At this hour, the household had also not yet eaten. Zhao Su was reporting to Zhù Ying: “The rush to bring in the harvest has gone fairly smoothly. There’s still a little left in the fields — if this rain doesn’t last too long, we should be able to bring in a bit more. If the sky clears in time, the harvest loss shouldn’t be too great.”

Xiao Jiang said, “A bit of rain isn’t a bad thing either. The Yigan clan will have trouble causing mischief under these conditions.”

Zhù Yin came to announce that Chen Mei had arrived. Zhù Ying said, “Come, let’s go see.”

……

Zhù Ying went personally to the gate to receive Chen Mei. Chen Mei was a little taken aback by the welcome. Seeing him looking somewhat bedraggled, Zhù Ying said, “Change your clothes and eat something first, and then we’ll talk.”

The conferral of a Prefectural Governorship was no small affair. Zhù Ying had hoped to have all five county magistrates present. But because of the harvest, Su Mingluan and the others needed to stay at home to oversee things and could not arrive too early. Zhù Ying had only sent word to them today. With the rain, they were unlikely to be able to come today or tomorrow.

Chen Mei sneezed. “As my uncle says.”

By the time everyone had washed and changed and sat down to the meal in the main hall, the night had set in. Everyone was hungry enough for their stomachs to be pressing against their backbones.

Chen Mei first asked Zhù Ying, “His Majesty has approved the petition of the five counties. I have brought the imperial decree. When would you consider it suitable to have it read?”

Zhù Ying said, “You’ve only just arrived — take some rest. With this rain, the roads aren’t safe either. There’s no rush to return.”

Chen Mei’s inclination was to return as quickly as possible, but his body genuinely couldn’t take it, and thinking back on the road he had just traveled, he agreed it would be better to wait for clear skies and safer roads.

Huajie and the others, hearing that the Emperor had given his approval, were already wearing smiles. Because of the change in weather, Xiao Jiang and others had stayed at the residence to help coordinate things, and rather a lot of people had stayed for the meal. The murmur of very soft sounds wove together into a current of quiet happiness that flowed into Chen Mei’s ears.

Chen Mei thought to himself: you’re all quite pleased — what a pity there are people in the capital grinding their teeth and glaring furiously.

Zhao Su suddenly said, “Second Young Master, you’ve grown quite thin.”

Chen Mei touched his face. “It’s nothing. Once I’m home with good food and proper sleep, I’ll fill out again.”

Zhao Su smiled. “And will there really be good food and proper sleep when you’re home?”

Zhù Ying said, “He’s only just sat down, and you’re already bringing up miserable things. Let the man eat.”

Chen Mei muttered, “You know perfectly well there are miserable things to deal with at court.”

Zhao Su said, “When has court ever not been miserable? From the time I went to study at the National Academy, there has never been a lack of scheming and infighting. But in the old days it was masters competing with masters — satisfying to watch. Now it’s like street thugs brawling — grabbing hair, poking eyes. The worst ones sit down and simply refuse to move.”

Chen Mei glanced at Zhù Ying with a look of suffering: “That Minister Yao you recommended has done something significant.”

“Oh?”

Chen Mei said, “Ever since he became Minister of Revenue, he’s been a changed man. My father had originally thought well of him. But since you left — and especially since word got out about that contingency of yours — he’s become more and more brazen. He says the prohibition on buying and selling farmland should be abolished.”

Zhù Ying looked up, genuinely startled. “Did he say why?”

Chen Mei shook his head. “I don’t know the details, and he didn’t discuss it with my father. My father asked me to come and seek your guidance on the matter. Also — that group around Xian Jing has again proposed formalizing the examination system, along with a rule that any current official who commits no violation within their term and completes their years of service should automatically advance one rank. Is this their way of stripping my father’s power and cultivating their own mediocre loyalists?”

Zhù Ying asked, “What of the others? Has Leng Yun been recalled to service? And the Shi family?”

“They’ve all come back. Oh!” Chen Mei produced two letters. “This one is from my father, and this one is from Minister Wang of the Court of State Ceremonial. Both are addressed to you.”

Zhù Ying accepted the letters. “You’ve had a long and exhausting journey. The mountains are cool and fresh in summer — perfect for putting on a little weight before you head back. Otherwise there won’t be enough left of you for the road.”

Chen Mei said, “Yes. Then…”

Zhù Ying said, “Once I’ve read the letters, I’ll have an answer for you.”

“All right!” Chen Mei stopped pressing for answers. He was also starving — the ingredients in the mountains were fresh, and the food tasted excellent.

Halfway through the meal, a man called softly from outside the door. Chen Mei looked over. Zhù Ying said, “What is it?”

The man was barefoot, his trouser hems caked with mud. He came inside. “My Lord, we’ve got it all in. About ten or so households didn’t make it in time — I organized people to help them bring their grain back as well.”

“A whole year comes down to these few days. Put in the work now, and there’ll be rest afterward.”

“Yes.”

“Come in and eat.”

“I won’t, thank you — the family is waiting for me at home. If they can’t see me, they’ll worry and might go out looking for me in the dark, and the road is slippery.”

Zhù Ying rose from her seat, took one of the torches burning brightly on the wall, and handed it to him. “Here then.”

“Yes!” The man took the torch and hurried off.

Chen Mei, who had only half-filled his stomach, watched this and said with feeling: “Such ability and talent — and here you are in this place managing trifling details. If you had been born a man, the whole realm would be yours to command. Who could defy you?”

He was the grandson and son of chancellors, and never in his life had he seen a person still handling the report of a mud-spattered farmer in the middle of a meal. When Magistrate Xu had asked him to serve as intermediary for a gift, he had felt a surge of feeling — that her words here carried more weight than those of any court official — and now, seeing this man with mud-covered legs, that feeling had turned into something like a wistful regret for Zhù Ying.

Zhù Ying said, “What I am, here, has nothing to do with whether I’m a man or a woman. Even if I were a man, the court would still be indifferent to someone dwelling in a backwater like this. Somewhere else — somewhere like Yangzhou — they might ignore the Western Tribes, but they’d come after me first.”

Chen Mei still had his private thoughts, but aloud he said, “The court wouldn’t.”

“They haven’t had a free hand just yet.”

Chen Mei quickly changed the subject. “With Minister Yao and Chancellor Xian stirring things up, they’ll have even less of a free hand. You… are you content to just watch them create chaos?”

Zhù Ying said, “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

Chen Mei couldn’t get anything more out of her, and gave up and ate his dinner. When the meal was done, Zhù Wen came to take him to a guest room. Zhù Wen walked ahead with a torch, saying as they went, “The guest room is a little narrow for so many people. Once it’s light tomorrow, I’ll take you over to the guest house.”

“Oh, right. That’s fine.”

……

By the time Zhù Ying finished her meal, Huajie and the others had already mixed in with their happiness a small thread of heaviness — what was happening at court was not something they could feel glad about.

Zhù Ying said, “Let’s all get some rest. There’s a great deal to see to tomorrow.” For instance, the grain storerooms needed continuing inspection and the coordination of those who had already brought in their harvest. Even if the skies cleared, there were only so many drying grounds to go around, and they would need to be allocated.

Wu Ren said quietly, “I’ll go check on the granary again and verify the stored grain. If we’re unlucky and the overcast continues, the new harvest could go bad, and we’ll have to rely on what’s already been stored.”

“Go ahead.”

Zhao Su, meanwhile, was trying to comfort Huajie, saying, “Don’t worry about the court, Madam — they’re shrewd enough.”

“The court officials are most clever of all when they’re scheming against each other. But cleverness spent the wrong way is no kind of virtue.” Zhou Wei murmured softly.

Zhao Su cleared his throat.

Zhou Wei quickly said to Zhù Ying, “I didn’t mean you were…” She paused, then turned to Zhao Su. “And I didn’t mean you either…”

“Pfft—” Jiang Zhou couldn’t hold it in.

Zhù Ying also burst into a laugh. “Little Zhou isn’t entirely wrong, to be fair. Only — it’s not quite ‘cleverness spent the wrong way.’ If you want to actually accomplish anything, you have to be capable of protecting yourself. Scheming is what you resort to when you have no choice. Getting easily outmaneuvered and struck down doesn’t leave you in a position to accomplish anything at all. Things used to be better. The people at court right now — they’ve lost the spirit for it.”

Huajie looked surprised. “Is it really that bad? Before…”

“It didn’t become like this in a single day,” Zhù Ying said.

Huajie said, “Can nothing be done to reverse it? When those at the top go bad, the ones scraping a living in the dirt go begging.”

“It’s very difficult! The court officials and the scholars under heaven — they can’t see any hope anymore.

Look at the people here in the villa. Many of them were slaves of the Suoning clan — before, they went without clothing or enough to eat, and only went to work when someone was there to beat them into it. Those same people, now — they get up early every single morning on their own, without anyone prompting them, and they work harder than they ever have before. I tell them to make do with a little less to eat and put in a little more effort right now, and they agree to it. Because they can see a future worth working toward.

Before, the court — it wasn’t that the emperor was a sage or anything of the sort, but he was a man who understood how things worked. The chancellors weren’t men of great virtue, but there was a measure of fairness and competence among them. Officials who were willing to do their work still had the chance to practice what the sages taught and conduct themselves as upright people.

And what of the officials now? Factional strife wherever they look. The atmosphere has gone rotten. Even those who apply themselves can’t accomplish anything, and on top of that they get abused for it. Who still wants to worry about the realm under these conditions? Better to take what you can for yourself.

When the spirit fails, the courage that used to be there also fades away. People stop using their minds. And without using their minds, they grow dull. Once their thoughts turn to private gain, their horizon narrows, and the way they treat people and handle affairs grows contemptible.

The people at court are the same people they always were. But the way they conduct themselves is utterly different from a few years ago. People of ability have become mediocre clerks.

Unless someone can sweep away this atmosphere of despondency and bring back hope.

But I’m afraid… it’s getting late. Everyone should sleep.”

Everyone’s heart felt heavy. No one in this room had any deep attachment to the court, yet all of them knew what a decaying court meant for ordinary people. Even Zhù Ying was sighing — this was…

……

The rain gradually stopped around midnight. The next morning, the sky cleared and the sun came out.

The entire Zhù County stirred to life and became busy.

Chen Mei had slept well and didn’t crawl out of bed until the sun was already well up. By the time he ate and looked for Zhù Ying, there was simply no opportunity to speak with her. Zhù Wen arranged for him to settle into the guest house: “The county is tied up with the autumn harvest right now. Once that’s done, we’ll properly prepare for the ceremony. Our Lord is being made Governor — that’s a major event!”

Chen Mei asked, “What is she up to right now?”

“She went out of the city first thing — first to check on the fields, then to inspect the drying grounds and the roads…”

Chen Mei was helpless. He waited another day. The sky stayed clear the whole time. The crowds in the county no longer moved with such frantic urgency, and he also heard that Zhù Ying had gone to the temple to pray — that the grain might be spared any more rain before it was dried.

Finally, after three days, Zhù Ying seemed to have a moment’s leisure. Chen Mei went straight to the Zhù residence and insisted on seeing her.

Zhù Ying was not a believer in gods or spirits, but for the sake of keeping the people’s hearts settled, she had led the sacrificial ceremonies herself. The first day she came in person; the second day she slipped away and arranged for Zhang Xiangu — an old hand at this line of work — to take her place at the temple. Over the following two days, she and Zhao Su focused on organizing the granaries: any household whose home storage was insufficient could pay their rent in newly-harvested, undried grain.

This meant that even if the weather turned bad afterward and the grain molded, it would count as rent already paid, and the losses would fall to her.

After two days of this, she had just returned home when Chen Mei appeared at her gate. Zhù Ying was not bothered. “You’ve come. Come in and talk.”

Chen Mei followed her inside. “Uncle, shouldn’t you first put on your proper robes? Seeing you in plain blue, I feel out of sorts too.”

Zhù Ying said, “The grain is the most pressing matter…”

“My Lord!” A rough male voice cut her off. “My Lord! Something’s happened to the Luguo headman!”

Lu Danqing jumped to her feet. “What? What happened?”

Chen Mei couldn’t make out their dialect and could only try to piece together what was happening from the expressions on their faces.

The man was a centurion. He said, “The Luguo headman waited for the weather to clear and set out on the road, but partway through he encountered some people from the Yigan clan and a fight broke out. The headman fell from his horse and broke his leg. Lucky for him, our captain came across them and pulled him out — he’s already at the city gates!”