There was no shortage of distinguished scholars in the world — scholars of distinction within a single county, scholars of distinction within a whole prefecture, and scholars who merely declared themselves distinguished. Zhù Ying had encountered the two most renowned scholars in the realm and, at this point in her life, held no particular reverence for the type.
Liu Songnian had a vicious tongue; Yang Jing was haughtily aloof. Distinguished scholars invariably had their peculiarities. Zhù Ying did not abandon all sense and ride through the night to return at once — instead, she rested one more night at the Asu clan’s stronghold.
That evening, Su Mingluan experienced quite a dramatic night of her own. She first sought out her daughter to ask what had transpired at the salt fields. Su Zhe refused to say a word. Su Mingluan grew more suspicious: “Your expression does not look like nothing happened. Something significant must have occurred!”
“Nothing happened.”
Mother and daughter stood at an impasse for the better part of half an hour. Su Mingluan said, “If you do not tell me, you will not be leaving this room.”
That would not do. She could certainly make a run for it, but the moment she did, many things would be dragged out into the open. Su Zhe had no choice; she asked: “You knew about Peacock withholding and selling salt, didn’t you?”
Su Mingluan was silent for a moment. “I did not.”
“You pretended not to know,” Su Zhe said.
Mother and daughter stared at each other. Su Mingluan said, “No one told me of this matter.”
“You knew now.”
In the end, Su Mingluan said, “I will account for this to Elder.”
Su Zhe glared at her mother: “When? Don’t make it look like I was too dense to figure it out!”
Su Mingluan said, with a mixture of relief and exasperation, “You think you are so clever? Do not try to guess Elder’s intentions — she always thinks one step further than you. Were you afraid she would find out I had seen through it, and would think you incompetent? How old are you? How many things have you handled? You want to outshine me already? It is perfectly normal that I could see it — not seeing it would mean there was a problem. And she understands that, too.”
Su Zhe said, “All the same, I need to investigate. What did you do with the extra salt, the extra money?”
“What did we do with it? Of course it went to legitimate accounts! Does iron cost nothing? Hiring skilled workers costs nothing? Maintaining soldiers costs nothing?”
“Oh?”
“I have only you, but you have several uncles! Outside, when merchants travel, do they not need escorts? Keeping soldiers costs money! Roads need to be built, people need to be fed, the guild hall business needs to be managed, the stronghold needs to be expanded, and the growing population needs to be settled! Being a clan head is not so easy as you think!”
Su Zhe lowered her head, twisting the hem of her garment. Su Mingluan said, “Go ahead and investigate if you want to — just leave Peacock some dignity.”
“All right.”
Su Mingluan sighed, then went to find Zhù Ying. It was late — going to Zhù Ying at that hour, in the deep of night, inevitably called certain memories to mind. Su Mingluan smiled helplessly at herself and knocked on the door.
As expected, Zhù Ying had not slept. “Come in.”
Su Mingluan entered. As she drew near and was about to kneel, Zhù Ying made a sharp sound of disapproval. Su Mingluan straightened up again. They looked at each other and laughed. Zhù Ying said, “Go ahead.”
“What Peacock did — I knew of it.”
Zhù Ying nodded. “In any household, the one who does the most work is bound to have some grievances.”
“Yes. I do not particularly mind giving them a portion of the benefits — I thought of it as buying a little peace. But if they were not willing to keep the peace, it was not worth it, and I had no choice but to look after my own first. At any rate, you are back now, and they have become more restrained.”
Zhù Ying said, “I know about this. You have carried the burden while I was away — the one who works more, earns more. Now that I am back, I will manage things well.”
Su Mingluan bowed her head deeply. “Now that you are back, I can stop worrying. Little Sister…”
Zhù Ying smiled. “Full of drive, refuses to be beaten — that is admirable.”
“She is far more easygoing than I was at her age, and even more so compared to when you were young.”
“We labored through these past decades precisely so that they could have things a little easier, didn’t we?”
The talk turned to children, and Su Mingluan’s heart softened. She pulled up a chair and sat beside Zhù Ying; there were countless things she could not say to anyone else — how to pass on the family’s fortunes intact and complete to her only daughter, and how to sustain that inheritance across the generations.
So she opened with a question about the civil examinations: “Some children in the stronghold wish to go to the prefecture to broaden their horizons. I am not sure whether they are eligible to sit the test.”
“Why would they not be? As long as their abilities are sufficient to outperform the others and be selected — of course they may.”
“Both boys and girls.”
“Of course.”
Su Mingluan said, “I am very worried about what lies ahead. We seem like something of an oddity. If someone were to come along one day wanting to restore conventional order, what would happen? I have only this one daughter — she must have children, and to have children she must have a husband. What if someone pressures her husband to take the lead? This is my Asu family’s ancestral estate!”
“Take a son-in-law into the household then!” Zhù Ying said without concern. “That can be made the standing rule. Little Sister — this is not merely a private family matter.”
“Of course it is not.”
Zhù Ying spread her hands. “Then it cannot be approached with the thinking one applies to personal or romantic affairs. What is gained may be lost; what is lost may be regained. Power alone must not be surrendered to another — even in death, it must remain bound to yourself.”
“Understood.”
…
On the return journey, even Wu Ren was in a sour mood, her lips pressed in a pout the entire way — Lu Danqing actually began to worry that by the time they reached the prefecture, Wu Ren’s lips would be sore from all the pouting.
Zhù Ying remained exactly as she always was.
Some twenty li from the city, Lin Feng, who had been out on patrol, came riding up to meet them: “Elder! You are finally back! Heaven have mercy — what kind of creature has shown up here!”
Lu Danqing laughed and scolded him, “Why are you making that face? Start from the beginning and tell us properly.”
Lin Feng took a long drink from his water flask, then launched into his complaint: “Some so-called distinguished scholar, not that I have seen him myself! Came in and immediately started putting on airs — and I have never even heard his name before. I served in Chancellor Liu’s household. Is there a distinguished scholar out there I would not know? And yet he insists, ‘I will only speak with your Prefect.’ Senior Brother Zhao said: though he is insufferable, he has come from outside the mountains to offer his services — treat it as buying a precious horse’s bones for a thousand gold pieces. So he had him put up in the guesthouse. He asks you to come back quickly and have a look. We have all met the Chancellor ourselves — this fellow’s airs are even bigger than a Chancellor’s!”
Zhù Ying laughed. “Is that so? Then I shall have to take a look.”
Twenty li passed quickly enough.
Zhù Ying went first to the prefecture, where she saw her mother and Huajie. Huajie said, “I hear a distinguished scholar has arrived?”
Zhang Xiangu said, “Apparently… he is not easy to deal with?”
Zhù Ying said, “I will see him first before saying anything more.”
Zhang Xiangu said, “Oh dear — you cannot go in looking like this to meet a man of learning. Go change your clothes and wipe the sweat off.”
The weather was sweltering. Zhù Ying washed up and changed into fresh clothes, re-done her hair. As she was in mourning, she wore a plain pale silk robe and a silver crown, still in her customary male style of dress, with just a few small adjustments made for practicality.
She went to the front hall, and Zhao Su, who had heard the news, hurried over: “Elder! I can already tell — that man’s abilities are mediocre at best, but his tone is extraordinarily large.”
Zhù Ying said, “Let us have a look first.” Lin Feng and the others also wanted to follow along and watch the spectacle. The party grew as they walked, until even Zhou Wei, who had just finished teaching the younger students their characters for the day, quietly joined at the back of the group.
They arrived at the guesthouse. A few curious townspeople were perched on the outer wall — Mountain City rarely offered the spectacle of this many important figures traveling together, and it was simply too good to miss.
Zhao Su instructed the guesthouse clerk to ask the onlookers on the wall to come down and leave.
While Zhao Su was still giving the order, Zhù Ying had already walked inside. Inside the guesthouse courtyard, a gaunt, pale-faced old man sat cross-legged beneath a great pine tree, his eyes half-open and half-closed, paying no attention to anyone. Zhao Su hurried in after her.
Lin Feng said, “You there, old man! This is dreadfully rude — our Prefect has come, and you are staying in this guesthouse as a guest. You cannot even get up to greet your host?”
The old man opened his eyes and swept his gaze over the assembled people; a puzzled expression crossed his face. Which one was Zhù Ying?
He knew she was a woman, but look as he might, he could not pick out a seductress from this group. There were a few women present, but none of them seemed to fit — Lu Danqing and the others were too young, and it was surely impossible she could truly have preserved her youth to such a degree. As for everyone else, they fit even less.
Most of those present were men. The figure with the most commanding presence was a young-looking man in a plain robe.
Zhao Su said, “This is our Prefect.”
The old man’s eyes went wide. “Prefect Zhù?”
Zhù Ying said, “I am.”
Her voice required no disguising, yet it was not girlish either. The old man considered for quite some time before finally remembering the opening line he had rehearsed countless times: “The Prefect has already committed a grave mistake — and you are not even aware of it?”
“I beg your pardon?”
The old man said gravely, “Have you read any books, Prefect? Allow me to examine you…”
Zhao Su, finding the words truly beyond the pale, said sharply, “You, old man — does the Prefect need you to test her?”
The old man ignored him. His gaze burned keenly toward Zhù Ying. Zhù Ying paid him no attention at all; she said to Zhao Su, “Is this it? And you arranged him here quite well…” She turned to leave.
The old man grew urgent and raised his voice: “Prefect, you face the danger of total ruin! If you do not turn back from this wrong path, you risk utter disgrace and the destruction of your name!”
A hush fell over everyone. Lin Feng was the sort who never held his temper for long, yet even he was so stunned by those words that he forgot to lose it.
Zhù Ying glanced sideways at him and said, “Is that so? I do not feel that way myself.”
The old man scrambled to his feet and spoke with even greater urgency: “How can you be so blind to your own error? If your parents and teachers have not said this to you, then let me be the one to tell you: Heaven and Earth maintain their proper order of yin and yang! Men and women have their distinct and separate spheres! You, as a woman, forced your way into the court — and when the truth was exposed, you fled south in guilt. Does this not prove you know in your heart that what you did cannot be accepted by the world?
The only course available to you now is to heed my counsel. Surrender the entire prefecture to His Majesty, present yourself before the court to beg forgiveness, and seek an imperial pardon. With the grace of such absolution, perhaps you may yet wash away your former shame, and your name may yet be preserved in the chronicles of history. If our Sagely Son of Heaven bestows his great mercy, he may even grant you a title, and you may find a decent gentleman to wed — fulfilling a woman’s rightful place, enjoying the joys of family — would that not be beautiful?”
“Pfah!” Zhou Wei, standing behind Zhù Ying, reacted first.
Lin Feng, Su Sheng, and the others wanted to lay hands on this creature — had the old man lost his senses? Things were perfectly fine as they were — why on earth should they care about the court?
The old man stiffened his neck and said, “Prefect, you really are a woman after all — you cannot even manage your subordinates, letting them carry on so rudely. How can someone like that govern a whole prefecture properly? Just look at your establishment here, and then think of the court — all those distinguished and accomplished gentlemen filling the halls…”
“I know,” Zhù Ying said. “I was one of them — I was Chancellor.”
The old man choked.
Zhù Ying said, “Can you read?”
“Of course — I have been steeped in the classics since childhood…”
“You came here to offer your services?”
“Ah — yes, I did…”
Zhù Ying finally asked one last question: “What is your name?”
Lu Danqing covered her mouth to keep from laughing. Carried along by her lead, Lin Feng and the others began laughing as well.
The old man’s face turned scarlet: “I am Tao Weiran, with the courtesy name of…”
Zhù Ying pointed at him and said to Zhao Su, “Have him register to take the examination — whatever process there is for registration, have someone explain it to him. By the way, the guesthouse charges fees — if he has no money, tell him how to make a living here. And all of you — have you no proper business to attend to? Come back, we have a meeting.”
“Yes~” Everyone, suppressing their laughter, tiptoed out one by one behind her.
Once out of the guesthouse, Lin Feng wanted to mock the old man again.
“Our Wuzhou has a fine name with a fine meaning, and is still somewhat out of the way. It seems phoenixes are not all that fond of coming here.” Zhù Ying said distantly.
Lin Feng fell silent.
Zhou Wei said, “How can you say that, my lord? Did that old coffin-stuffing let you feel disheartened?! This place is a phoenix’s nest! You hold open examinations — there will be plenty of fine women coming!”
Zhù Ying said, “May your words bring good fortune. As for paying a thousand gold pieces for a horse’s bones — when it turns out to be a donkey, we shall pass.”
Zhou Wei said happily, “Now that is the right spirit!”
Then, realizing she had perhaps overstepped herself, she hurriedly moved to apologize.
Zhù Ying said, “Back to the prefecture.”
“Yes.”
The next day, Tao Weiran still wanted to come to Zhù’s residence to press his case. Zhao Su asked Zhù Ying what should be done: “Throwing him out would be easiest, but we worry he might go back down the mountain and spread rumors that damage our reputation, which could discourage genuinely talented people from coming.”
Zhù Ying said, “It is of no consequence. Those who do not share the same convictions cannot work toward the same end. Tolerate one stubborn fool, and you attract a whole herd of donkeys. People who cannot see past the fog are of no use to us anyway. Give him travel money and escort him back down the mountain.”
“Yes.”
After that, Zhù Ying remained in Mountain City. Between overseeing the autumn harvest, she also went to the school to teach. During the harvest season, the school’s students went home to help their families — but girls like Si Niang and the others who had no family below stayed on the mountain, and Zhù Ying put them to work copying official bulletins and documents, distributing these to the various counties, and handling some simple clerical tasks.
When the harvest was done, she also put them and their schoolmates to work helping collect the autumn taxes. Their ability to read and write and calculate saved Xiang An and Wu Ren considerable effort.
During this time, Gan County reported that the Xika had come raiding again. Under Zhù Ying’s guidance, Zhù Qingjun drove them off without pursuing — repelling only, not giving chase.
The days passed one by one. When the autumn taxes were fully collected, Wuzhou needed someone to escort the grain and supplies to the capital. After consulting with Zhao Su, it was decided that Zhao Su himself would make the trip to the capital in order to take stock of conditions at court.
And Wuzhou welcomed yet another New Year. Peacock arrived as she had promised.