With the Prime Minister himself arriving in person, Wang Yunhe had no choice but to go out and receive him. Jin Liang stood up to straighten his collar, while Jin’s wife ran her fingers through her hair, then felt for the embroidered pouch at her waist and fished out a small mirror to check her appearance.

Zhù Da and Zhang Xiangu were even more flustered, exchanging helpless glances, unsure of what to do. The Prime Minister — the highest official in the realm — how were they supposed to receive him?

Wang Yunhe caught a glimpse of Zhù Ying’s composed demeanor and gave a quiet nod of approval. He then glanced over at Chen Meng, whose face had gone dark, and couldn’t help shaking his head. Wang Yunhe took the lead, descending from the hall to welcome the guest.

The Prime Minister arrived swiftly. Zhù Ying stood behind Jin Liang and Chen Meng, peering through the gap between them. She watched as the attendants bowed and led the way, and behind them came a remarkably distinguished man walking at a measured pace.

The Prime Minister appeared to be around forty, though by Chen Meng’s age, he should have been well past fifty, nearly sixty — his appearance simply didn’t match that. Most people Zhù Ying had encountered before were rural farmers or urban peddlers, all weathered by hardship regardless of their character. City dwellers and people of means always looked younger than their country counterparts. If she applied the habit of adding ten or twenty years as she would when judging someone from the countryside, the numbers would line up.

What truly caught Zhù Ying’s attention was the retinue following behind the Prime Minister. He had brought rather a lot of attendants — a full seven or eight people, one of whom was bound, escorted by two others on either side. Zhù Ying’s gaze traveled over the bound man from head to toe, finally settling on his feet.

The man walked with a slight limp — his left foot appeared to be recently injured rather than a long-standing disability. Someone newly injured had not yet adjusted to the change in their body and would inevitably move differently from someone who had long since mastered walking with a permanent impairment. More importantly, Zhù Ying believed that his stride, the way he distributed his weight, and the size of his shoes all matched what had been left behind at Jin Liang’s home. Though he had changed into a different pair — not the ones that had left the distinctive marks — they were still his own shoes.

This Prime Minister is truly formidable, Zhù Ying thought.

Wang Yunhe exchanged formal greetings with the Prime Minister, and the others in the group followed with their own courtesies. Zhù Da and Zhang Xiangu, not knowing how to address him properly, just bowed along and called him “My Lord” — the Prime Minister didn’t mind at all.

The Prime Minister said to Wang Yunhe, “You’re as devoted to your duties as ever.”

Wang Yunhe replied, “Your Excellency jests. Serving the ruler’s cause — that is simply what men like us ought to do. However, as your son has a connection to this case, and there is material evidence, I’m afraid I cannot let him leave so easily.”

The Prime Minister responded with seemingly good humor: “I knew you’d say that. So — I’ve brought the culprit back to you myself! It’s rather embarrassing — I’m afraid it involves someone connected to me. A servant from my household was the thief.”

A bound, limping man with his arms tied behind his back was then hauled forward by servants of the Prime Minister’s household.

Wang Yunhe had already noticed this when they entered. Seeing the Prime Minister produce the man, he said, “Your Excellency, please come inside. We’ll speak in the hall. After you!”

Although Wang Yunhe had changed into casual clothes, he did not change back upon returning to the main hall. He first invited the Prime Minister to be seated. Jin Liang and the others dared not sit, and Chen Meng stood with his hands at his sides. Zhang Xiangu pressed close to her daughter and, without realizing it, clutched the cuff of her daughter’s sleeve tightly. She could feel in her bones that this was serious. Zhou You alone had been enough to make them suffer. The wife of Feng’s household had been enough to have them beaten. The Prime Minister…

She dared not think further.

The Prime Minister swept a glance over the chairs in the hall and said genially, “I’ve also come on account of the case. But the presiding judge is not I — let us follow the protocol of the Metropolitan Prefecture.”

Chen Meng still dared not sit. Jin Liang and his wife perched cautiously on the edge of their chairs. The three of the Zhù family remained standing. The Prime Minister looked at Zhù Ying, gave her a nod, and said, “You are Zhù Ying?”

Zhù Ying stepped half a pace forward, clasped her hands in salute, and said, “Yes.”

The Prime Minister said, “I heard of you long ago — I didn’t expect we’d only meet now. Had we met sooner, you would have been calling me ‘Uncle by marriage.’ But it seems that was not fated to be.”

Zhù Ying said, “Meetings between people depend on fate, just as the nature of their relationship depends on who they are to each other. Being an uncle by marriage is one kind of fate; today is another.”

The Prime Minister smiled. He was a handsome man, and even in his age, when he smiled it felt like a warm spring breeze. He said, “You are a good child. They were simply blind.”

Chen Meng held his breath and cast a cautious glance at his father. His aunt’s family affairs — Father had known about it all in such detail?

Wang Yunhe had already learned of the Zhù family’s situation through his earlier questioning and was not surprised. He waited until the exchange of pleasantries was finished before asking the Prime Minister, “What guidance does Your Excellency bring?”

The Prime Minister said, “Let them give their account.”

A long-bearded man in a long robe stepped forward from the Prime Minister’s household — he had the look of a head steward. Clasping his hands in salute, he said, “To report to the Metropolitan Prefect: we discovered a theft in our household and traced it here.”

Zhù Ying listened carefully as the man explained. The Prime Minister’s household stored its possessions in a treasury, which went undisturbed for long periods of time. Inventory tablets and the like were only brought out and verified when actually needed, and the rest of the time everyone kept their own. Given the sheer size and wealth of the Prime Minister’s household, no one could keep watch over everything at every moment. As a result, some items might go missing for years without anyone noticing, and certain lesser possessions might go unnoticed from beginning to end, as though they had never existed at all.

Zhù Ying nodded. That made sense. Take gold hairpins, for example — Zhang Xiangu didn’t have a single one, and if she ever received one, she’d be checking it eight times a day. Yu Miaomiao had a few gold hairpins and kept them carefully locked away. But someone of Zheng Xi’s standing, apart from the few things he used regularly, simply tossed his valuables wherever, without a second thought.

The steward continued: “Once the first month of the new year had passed, our household conducted an inventory of the treasury and found several items missing. We questioned those who had been on duty and found this thief.”

The two servants shoved the bound man forward.

The steward said: “When we found him, he was in the middle of changing his clothes, and his foot had become lame. When we interrogated him, we learned what he had done. Tell them yourself!”

The man hung his head and said: “That day, I saw a few things in the treasury that no one ever touched, and for a moment I was overcome by greed. Thinking people in the household weren’t paying close attention to them, I took them. When I brought them out, I saw someone delivering a large cartload of things, so I asked around — they said it was for the Young Master.”

Chen Meng had been entrusted by Sheng Ying to go to the Jin household. Zhù Ying had returned the gifts he brought exactly as they came. Those gifts had actually been provided by Sheng Ying — Zhù Ying didn’t know the full circumstances behind them; she only knew that Chen Meng had brought them, so she had Jin Liang return them to the Prime Minister’s household. The servants there then came to know what Chen Meng had been doing.

The man said: “I thought that since the Young Master was sending things out, they must be valuable, and I was overcome by greed again. So I asked the cart driver which household it was going to. I followed the address they gave me, intending to make a small profit — but I couldn’t find anything worth taking. In a fit of anger, I set the place on fire. It truly was only about money!”

The Prime Minister said, “I’ve brought the man to you. Whatever punishment you see fit, I will not object. As for my son — I would like to take him home.”

He’s lying, Zhù Ying thought. Who goes to a woodshed looking for valuables? Normally, valuables would be in the main rooms or close by. If he had gone groping around the main quarters carrying a knife, Jin’s wife would have been finished.

However, Zhù Ying glanced once more at the man’s lame foot. I’m certain it’s him, she thought. I wasn’t wrong. And those footprints don’t belong to Chen Meng — the area around them contained no footprints of Chen Meng’s either.

Wang Yunhe said, “I understand everything Your Excellency has explained. However, the aggrieved parties still have some additional evidence that needs to be verified. That way, the Young Master will return home with his name fully cleared — wouldn’t that be better?”

The Prime Minister smiled. “What you mean is, even if this man is the thief, it doesn’t necessarily follow that my son isn’t one as well — is that right?”

Wang Yunhe said, “I wouldn’t dare suggest that. It’s also for the Young Master’s benefit, so that no one can gossip about this afterward. And it spares Your Excellency from a censure for poor parenting.”

The Prime Minister gave a rueful smile. “On the subject of censure for poor parenting, I find I have nothing to say. I’ve already endured one round of that. Very well — though I’d also like to see for myself.”

…

As they all rose to leave, Zhù Ying made repeated meaningful glances at Wang Yunhe.

Wang Yunhe finally noticed her. He beckoned her over and said, “Young one, come here — show me the way.”

Zhù Ying hurried over and heard Wang Yunhe ask, “You are staying temporarily at the Jin household?”

“Yes.”

“Your parents were beaten on the orders of the Young Master’s maternal aunt?”

“Yes.”

Wang Yunhe said no more. The Prime Minister had heard it too, and gave a rueful smile: “Women and their ways — never reliable!”

Wang Yunhe said, “Indeed. Under these circumstances, wherever this family stays, a thief appears and sets fire to the place. That alone is enough for people in the streets to talk, and on the basis of that alone, they could pin a charge of ‘settling personal scores’ on this woman, on Sheng Ying, and on your son as well. Your Excellency need not concern yourself with what fools say, but many voices speaking together can destroy even the strongest reputation.”

The Prime Minister sighed. “You’re right — you have my best interests at heart, I understand that. Child, come here. Let me look at you.”

Zhù Ying stepped forward as instructed. The Prime Minister asked what books she had read and what she was currently doing, and Zhù Ying answered everything. He also asked who her teacher was, and she said she had none — everything had been picked up by eavesdropping and self-study.

Both the Prime Minister and Wang Yunhe sighed deeply. The Prime Minister stamped his foot twice and declared, “Sheng Ying is nothing but a blind and useless fool! Blind in his eyes and blind in his heart!”

“He is.”

He sighed a while longer, then said to Wang Yunhe, “Let’s go.”

They each mounted their horses. Zhù Ying ran to Wang Yunhe’s horse and said, “Don’t argue with him — he’s already figured everything out. It wasn’t Chen Meng. I know Chen Meng’s footprints! Not only do the footprints I found not belong to him — there were no footprints belonging to him anywhere in the area at all. There were footprints belonging to that servant. Even if there are other offenders involved, it wasn’t Chen Meng — it was someone else. I’m not saying this because he said some kind words to me…”

She spoke in a great rush. Wang Yunhe patted her shoulder gently and said, “I know, of course.”

He was on the upright side, perhaps — but he was no fool. Why else would he have spoken of “settling personal scores” to the Prime Minister?

Zhù Ying said, “You must rely on evidence. The only evidence I can offer you is what I’ve found. It can’t be traced to anyone else.”

“I know.”

Wang Yunhe mounted his horse and rode personally to the rear gate of the Jin household. Jin Liang opened the gate, and Zhù Ying pointed out everything she had found. Wang Yunhe examined it all as Jin Liang had done, then personally climbed a ladder to examine the handprints on top of the wall. The Prime Minister strolled about with his hands clasped behind his back, looking over the woodshed, the ground, and the street outside. He did not climb the ladder; instead, he asked Zhù Ying, “You discovered all of this?”

Zhù Ying said, “Yes.”

The Prime Minister sighed once more: “What a bright future ahead of you, young person — you shouldn’t be wasting your talents on the work of runners and clerks. You ought to be reading proper books.”

Wang Yunhe, still on the ladder, said, “I’ve said the same.”

He came down, dusted off his hands, and said to Chen Meng, “Come over here and walk a few steps.” He compared the shoe prints and confirmed they were not Chen Meng’s, then released Chen Meng on the spot without any hesitation.

The Prime Minister said to Wang Yunhe, “Now that the truth is clear, I’ll take my son home for a proper talking-to. As for this criminal, I’ll leave him in your hands.” Then, turning to Jin Liang, he said, “This house has suffered both fire and a break-in — there’s been damage, and it’s lost its good fortune. Steward.”

The steward stepped forward and negotiated with Jin Liang: “The Prime Minister’s intention is to offer a new house in exchange — no smaller than this one, and in better condition, in a better location.”

The arrangement was for the Prime Minister’s household to swap a two-courtyard residence for the Jin household’s property. The new house was newly built. Many residences in the capital followed similar specifications and dimensions, but this one sat in a better area — a neighborhood further north, closer to the Zheng Marquis’s estate. The same house in that slightly more northerly ward would be worth a hundred guan more. He also said that once they had finished moving in, he would present Jin’s wife with a full set of gold jewelry as a housewarming gift.

The Prime Minister conducted his affairs with the ease of a gentle spring breeze. Jin Liang was so disarmed he rushed to say, “The thief has been caught, and it was only the woodshed after all — a bit of patching up is all it needs. There’s no need to go this far.”

The Prime Minister said, “Accept it.”

He glanced at Zhù Ying again. Zhù Da and Zhang Xiangu were stirred with excitement, thinking: Could it be — could he be giving us a house too? Our rented house isn’t as fine as the Jins’, but it’s a proper three-bay main hall with side rooms and a courtyard. If we could own a house here in the capital, that would truly be…

Zhù Ying said, “I have a house of my own. It’s sitting there perfectly fine. In a couple of days I’ll move back.”

Jin Liang said, “We agreed — you’d stay here with me!”

Jin’s wife had just had a windfall drop into her lap out of nowhere and was still a little dazed by it, but she had never disliked Zhù Ying, and now she said, “That’s right — stay together! Surely nothing else can go wrong? And you’d have to spend money renting a room anyway!”

Zhù Ying said, “I have my own house…”

“Nothing will happen to you wherever you live,” the Prime Minister said.

Zhù Ying was taken aback for a moment, then a smile broke across her face. “All right.”

The Prime Minister watched Zhù Da and his wife looking thoroughly disappointed and felt a private flicker of amusement. He said, “Live wherever you like. But —” He turned to Wang Yunhe. “I’ve taken quite a liking to this young person. Steward.”

The steward produced two gleaming gold ingots from his sleeve. Zhù Ying had little experience with gold, having rarely seen it. Jin’s wife did a quick mental calculation and quietly told her, “One of those is worth fifty to sixty guan — together, these are a hundred guan.”

Zhù Ying said, “There’s no need for this! Given a few dozen days of focused reading, I can support my own family!”

“Accept it,” the Prime Minister said with a trace of playfulness. “Study hard — if your learning is good, it’s yours to keep. If it isn’t good, you’ll owe it back.”

Zhù Ying met his gaze directly. The Prime Minister’s eyes looked clear — cool and translucent, she thought.

Wang Yunhe said, “Accept it — it is the expectation of your elders.”

Zhù Ying bowed to the Prime Minister with sincere gravity and said, “Very well. I’ll keep it — and I won’t give you any occasion to take it back.”

The Prime Minister finally let out a hearty laugh: “Good!” He left his steward behind to conclude the case, handle the negotiations with Jin Liang, and the rest, while he took his son home.

Jin’s wife murmured, “They say Prime Minister Chen is a good-hearted man — and it’s true.”

The realization struck Zhù Ying: she understood now. When the Prime Minister chose to be gracious, everything about him had the unmistakable quality of Zheng Xi — attentive, warm, and generous.

Wang Yunhe said, “Let us return to the yamen and close the case.”

Zhù Ying breathed a sigh of relief. Wang Yunhe looked at her expression and found it quite amusing. “You — study hard!”

“Yes, yes.”

They returned to the Metropolitan Prefecture. Wang Yunhe first questioned the criminal, asking only one question: “How did you come to enter the Prime Minister’s household?”

The servant replied, “I was part of the Madam’s dowager household and followed the Madam into the Chen family upon her marriage.”

Wang Yunhe concluded the case. Theft and arson — flogging with a rod, followed by banishment. Done.

Jin Liang and the others prepared to take their leave. Wang Yunhe said, “The rest of you may go. The young one, please stay.”

Zhù Ying didn’t know what this was about, but still trusted Wang Yunhe and said, “Yes.”

Wang Yunhe brought her to his private study, pointed to a full row of bookshelves, and asked, “Look at what I have here — don’t you want to read them?”

Zhù Ying said, “I’ve already chosen my path. I want to sit the Ming Fa examination.”

Wang Yunhe sighed. By now he had come to fully understand Zhù Ying’s origins and circumstances — a child from a family so destitute her father had been taken in as a live-in son-in-law, rejected and stripped of her betrothal, saddled with a pair of rather unreliable parents, with no family property to speak of, yet sharp as a tack. She had come to the capital following Zheng Xi, was staying at Jin Liang’s home, Zheng Xi had just taken charge of the Court of Judicial Review, and she was aiming for the Ming Fa examination — he understood.

He walked to the bookshelf and lifted a heavy case of books, then turned and placed them in Zhù Ying’s arms. “Take these. Once the examination is over, read through all of them.”

Zhù Ying looked down — it was a collected edition of the Spring and Autumn Annals. Wang Yunhe said, “Of the three commentaries to the Spring and Autumn, the Zuo Commentary is the one to read.”

“Yes.”

Wang Yunhe also took out his own set of the Four Treasures of the Study, had someone add a generous supply of paper and ink, and bundled it all together into a package for Zhù Ying to take home.

That day, Zhù Ying stayed on at the Jin household. Both the Zhù and Jin families had been badly frightened, but having also received considerable benefit, all earlier grievances dissolved. Jin’s wife was now very much regretting having been ready to stop sheltering Zhù Ying, and was doing her best to keep her. She urged her to stay.

Zhù Ying said, “I’ve already been paying rent on that house — it would be a waste to let it sit empty.”

Jin Liang said, “Either get out of the lease, or sublet it to someone else. You need to focus on your studies.”

Zhù Ying said, “You still have to move house yourself — the place over there has already been cleared out for you. You’ll be getting started in a day or two, so we’ll move at the same time.”

Jin’s wife pressed her earnestly: “When we move, you just stay here and read. Once we’ve gotten things settled on that end, you just bring yourself and a single book over. There won’t be anything for you to do. We’ve been living together all this time — at least let me see this act of goodwill through properly.”

Zhù Ying said, “A’Jie, your goodwill is already perfectly fulfilled. I really couldn’t impose on you any further.”

The two sides went back and forth warmly in a very harmonious scene — one unwilling to cause trouble for the other, the other doing their best to provide for the one.

In the end, Jin Liang grew exasperated and said, “What’s all this bickering? Everyone listen to me! Sanlang — you said yourself you help in a crisis but not out of poverty. You’re not poor now, but studying quietly — that counts as a kind of ‘crisis.’ And my wife and I are both injured — who’s going to look after us? That’s settled!”

And so it was decided.

…—

The Jin household was at peace. The Chen household, on the other hand, was oppressive.

Chen Meng walked home behind the Prime Minister with his head bowed and hands at his sides, following him all the way to the study. A young attendant came forward to help the Prime Minister out of his outer robe, took his hat, and changed him into house clothes. The Prime Minister stood with his arms extended, not sparing his son a single glance, then dropped one sentence: “Trying the same trick again, were you?”

The blow landed squarely on Chen Meng’s chest. He jerked his head up. “What is Father saying? I don’t understand!”

“Anyone who truly doesn’t understand wouldn’t have said what you just said.”

The Prime Minister finished changing and took his seat behind the writing desk. An attendant served tea. The Prime Minister took a sip and said, “Invite the Madam to come.”

Chen Meng stared at his father, unsure of what he meant. The Prime Minister said, “Your mother has been worrying herself on your behalf. You ought to thank her properly.”

Her? Chen Meng was nearly beside himself with fury. He was certain this frame-up had been orchestrated by his stepmother. His aunt had only just made enemies of the Zhù family, and now someone was setting fire to the place where the Zhùs were staying — called it a robbery, yet nothing was taken, while piece after piece of incriminating evidence pointed straight at him! And the culprit was his stepmother’s own dowager-household servant!

The Prime Minister said, “She has been organizing your belongings and teaching you proper conduct — shouldn’t you thank her for that?”

When Chen’s Madam arrived, she too wore a dark expression. The Prime Minister addressed her pleasantly: “You’ve worked hard all these years. What with having to keep to your rooms for your health, the children are grateful for it.”

Chen Meng didn’t understand, but caught by his father’s gaze, he obediently kowtowed to his stepmother. Chen’s Madam said nothing until the Prime Minister spoke: “Madam?”

Chen’s Madam drew a deep breath and said, “Chen Duo! It was my father who promoted you!”

The Prime Minister said, “How could I ever forget such a great kindness? Eldest boy, bow and thank your mother.”

Both Chen Meng and Chen’s Madam were too frightened to speak. Like puppets on strings, one bowed, the other made a show of helping him up and said, “Rise.” Then both puppets looked over at the Prime Minister, awaiting his next command.

The Prime Minister said, “Escort the Madam to her rest. She is ill — she must take care of herself.”

Chen’s Madam was escorted away by two stout matrons, and Chen Meng noted immediately that neither of them was among his stepmother’s usual trusted attendants.

His heart pounding, he watched the study door close, then turned and called out softly, “Father?” Only now did Chen Meng realize that he understood not at all the father he had been trying to fathom for more than a decade! Back in the family’s provincial home, apart from studying and socializing, he had spent all his time trying to work out his own household, his own father, and the web of relations between them.

The Prime Minister said nothing, merely watching him, his gaze perfectly calm. But that stillness was enough to drive Chen Meng to the edge of madness.

His breathing grew more and more rapid until at last he burst out: “Father! Whatever instruction you have for your son, just say it directly!”

The Prime Minister remained silent. Only when Chen Meng was soaked through with sweat and had sunk down prostrate on the ground did he finally speak: “Already at your limit? And here I thought you had such great courage. Such deep calculation. Eh? Pulling clouds and turning rain — using the law of the state to meddle in family affairs?!”

Chen Meng said, “The second brother moved against me first!”

“Hmm. Not bad — you’re starting to sound like your mother. She said the same thing: that you moved against her son first.”

Chen Meng breathed in great gulping gasps and looked up at his father: “You know that she sent her dowager-household servant to frame me! You believe I am innocent?!”

“Foolish!!!” The Prime Minister erupted in rage. “You are innocent? ‘Innocent’ would have no use for you! Innocent would laugh itself to death!”

Chen Meng felt both anguish and a flicker of happiness — he could hear it now. His father, though suspecting that he had tried to use the case to turn the tables and destroy his stepmother, also knew that his stepmother had been in the wrong first — and it was the Prime Minister himself who had investigated and established the truth. Though angry, he still believed him.

Chen Meng crawled on his knees to his father’s feet, threw his arms around the Prime Minister’s legs, and wept in great heaving sobs: “Father, Father, Father — I have suffered so! I have had such a hard time of it!”

The Prime Minister stroked his head and said, “What exactly have you suffered? Suffered enough to give me no end of trouble?”

“I had no other choice! You never paid me any mind, and they kept trying to harm me. Father — even an ant clings to life, and yet I have a stepmother! A stepmother! Better to have no mother at all!” Chen Meng finally wept out the grievances he had swallowed since the age of seven. “I didn’t know who I could rely on. I was all alone, so alone, with no one around me but servants and not a single family member who cared. I have suffered so!”

The Prime Minister sighed. “Get up.”

Chen Meng wiped his tears and clambered up, looking at his father with reddened eyes. “Father.”

But the Prime Minister did not return his gaze with any warmth. Instead, he said sternly: “The law of the state must not enter the family gate!”

“I don’t understand,” Chen Meng said, a note of petulance creeping in. “I was nearly done for. I thought you had abandoned me. I was terrified, and with my life at stake, I had no choice but to make the whole thing blow up…”

“Your life? Why did I send you away in the first place? Because sending you away was giving you a way to live! A great household — if it stands united, I won’t say a thousand or ten thousand years, but three to five generations of prosperity, ten generations of continuity, and if a capable heir appears, a few more generations of prosperity again — over dozens of generations, that is entirely possible. But if it turns on itself…” The Prime Minister gave a cold laugh. “You brought the courts in to destroy your brother; your mother could bring the law of the state to punish you! Your maternal grandfather’s family was contemptible and shortsighted, threw away a piece of jade and made enemies of those they had considered family. And you? You clung to that useless maternal uncle of yours, running errands for him like a hired hand! Zhù Ying gets into trouble — who else would they arrest but you?”

Chen Meng muttered, “It wasn’t — wasn’t quite that serious, was it?”

The Prime Minister sneered coldly. “That short dagger was not only there to frame you. That servant had been roaming around outside with it for several days. Had Zhù Ying been shut indoors the whole time — which they hadn’t counted on — that was the only reason they had to resort to fire instead. Otherwise, Zhù Ying struck down in the street by an assassin, and the knife used would have been one sent to you as a gift! What do you say to that?”

“It’s a good thing they were reading and didn’t go out.”

The Prime Minister said, “Indeed — reading is good. Read diligently.”

Chen Meng cheered up slightly and said, “Is it because they stayed indoors reading that Father gave them the gold? Father was very generous this time — to both Jin Liang and Zhù Ying.”

“As long as you’re not throwing money away, it’s money well spent. When money can handle something, don’t be stingy with it! It shows magnanimity. Don’t go making enemies over nothing. As for how you deal with these two in the future — there’s no need to be overly intimate, but equally, don’t be cold or treat them as enemies. What is there to hold a grudge over? When something happens to them, are they going to drag you out as a suspect again?”

Chen Meng laughed and said, “Not at all. I also think that Zhù Ying is decent enough. Even my maternal uncle has some regrets now — he asked me to go and smooth things over. I…”

“That useless Sheng Ying, and you’ve been keeping such close company with him! If you turn out like him, don’t call yourself my son!”

“Father — Father? What did he do wrong? When Maternal Grandfather was falsely accused and took his own life, Mother wept and begged you — and you didn’t intervene. Maternal Uncle was exiled and came back; he’s held the family together until now. Even out of respect for Mother’s memory…”

The Prime Minister said icily, “So you’re blaming me now?”

Chen Meng knelt again and said, “I would never dare. I simply don’t understand — why didn’t you help Maternal Grandfather at the time?”

“That was a struggle for the throne! Whom could anyone look to for help? Your maternal grandfather took his own life. He was directly involved — and even he could not say with certainty whether he truly had intended to support the rebel prince. How could someone with no knowledge of the inner workings speak on his behalf? Your maternal uncle was no better!”

A struggle for the throne. Chen Meng shuddered. “Yes. Your son understands. If not for Father’s submission last year, Maternal Grandfather’s case would not have been re-examined so quickly, and Maternal Uncle would not have returned so soon. And it was Father who sent him to bring me back…”

The Prime Minister heard him circle back to his maternal uncle yet again three sentences later, and took a sip of tea with careful deliberateness. “Tell me — what is your surname?”

“Your son’s surname is Chen, of course!”

“I had begun to wonder if it was Shen. You think of him so fondly — perhaps tomorrow I should arrange for you to be adopted into his family.”

Chen Meng threw himself flat on the ground: “Your son would never! I didn’t mean it that way! Your son understands now! When something arises within the family, it must be resolved within the family.”

The Prime Minister said with quiet gravity, “In this capital, if you were to lift the roof off any household and go through it line by line against the law, then of households of the fifth rank and above, the only ones who would escape punishment would be children under the age of seven. If everyone brings the law into family affairs, there are no more families. If you cannot grasp this, then you are worse than your younger brother — get out now, and go be a son to whatever family you wish to ruin. I will not have a prodigal son like that. Everyone says your younger brother is a scandalous disgrace, a prodigal. But between the two of you, it is you — you are the true prodigal.”

Chen Meng was so frightened he did not dare breathe, and kept pressing his head to the ground: “Father, I understand now — your son was wrong in his thinking! A family is the foundation of everything I am. Without the family, there is nothing. Mother, at the time, thought only of the Shen family and forgot she was a daughter-in-law of the Chen family — and my mother. If one does not understand this principle and does not know how to protect what one has built, it will eventually all fall apart.”

The Prime Minister said, “Go. Beginning tomorrow, have your wife start learning how to manage the household.”

“Yes.” Chen Meng rose with a trembling body, then carefully asked the Prime Minister: “There are still some loose ends with Zhù Ying. Ought I to see them a few more times, so it’s clear there are no hard feelings? And I should also settle things properly with my maternal uncle.”

The Prime Minister saw that he was still shaken and somewhat at a loss, and softened slightly. “Why does it have to ‘appear’ a certain way? Think about it — is there actually any enmity between you two? How did it come about?”

“There — there isn’t any,” Chen Meng said.

The Prime Minister looked at his son helplessly. Chen Meng gave a slow, rather dazed laugh: “That’s right — there isn’t, is there.”

“As for your maternal uncle — he is an elder, after all. Visiting is fine.”

“Yes. I understand now. I won’t revolve around him anymore.” Chen Meng suddenly saw things clearly. Right — he and Zhù Ying had no quarrel. Even setting aside everything involving Shen’s and Feng’s families, the two of them had gotten along well enough. He was the son of the Prime Minister’s household; Zhù Ying’s standing might be somewhat lower, but she wasn’t unpleasant, and she seemed genuinely ambitious. More friends, more roads open to you — there was nothing wrong with that.

And his maternal uncle — he was a Chen, not a Shen!

“They are family. Help where you can. But you are not their errand boy!”

The Prime Minister said, “Now you’re finally thinking clearly.”

…—

Zhù Ying knew nothing of these events unfolding at the Chen household. But from the way Wang Yunhe and the Prime Minister had conducted themselves, she knew she was safe.

She slept soundly and well, and rose early the next morning to resume her memorization. The books Wang Yunhe had given her she set aside for now — anything that wasn’t on the examination was of no use to her at present. She’d come back to them after the test.

She had lost precious time to the arson investigation and now had to make it up! Meanwhile, Zhù Da and Zhang Xiangu helped Jin Liang’s family think through the move, going with them to look at the new house. It was indeed newly built — the materials were even of better quality than where they currently lived. The courtyard had a well and a large tree.

Jin’s wife was very pleased: “We can sit in its shade in the summer! With a well, we can keep melons and fruit cool to eat in the heat! Let me see if it’s a sweet-water well — a sweet-water well would be even better.”

She invited Zhang Xiangu to look over the side rooms and suggested that they all move in together, and once Zhù Ying had passed the examination and become an official, they could move back to their own place. “By then I won’t be managing anything. And you won’t have to worry about anyone throwing them in prison on a whim.”

Zhang Xiangu was delighted: “If the third one really does become an official, I want a house of my own too! Nothing like yours — just something like the one we’re renting. You haven’t seen our place, have you, A’Jie? It’s not as fine as yours, but I arranged every bit of it myself, and everything was kept neat and tidy.”

After viewing the house, everyone had a good sense of how they’d settle in, and they went with the steward from the Chen household to complete the handover of the property deed. The move to the new house began at once, while the old one was not immediately vacated — the Chen household had no need to rush reclaiming the little courtyard.

They moved the rear quarters first, going in and out through the back gate. Zhù Ying stayed in the front courtyard to study. At midday she ate a hasty meal and went straight back to memorizing and practicing her calligraphy.

That afternoon, while Zhù Ying was at her calligraphy practice, the cook who had stayed behind to watch the house came in and said, “Sanlang — someone’s come to see you. There’s a calling card!”

Zhù Ying said, “Let me see it.”

It was Chen Meng’s card!

Zhù Ying was startled: “What brings him here? Please invite him in.”

She washed her hands, straightened her clothing, and went out to receive Chen Meng. At the sight of him she was surprised: “Young Master, you look so much better.”

Chen Meng smiled with quiet restraint: “Sanlang, this time I’ve come for myself — not on anyone else’s behalf. You can’t be angry with me for that.”

Zhù Ying said, “Not at all. Please come in.”

She brought him into her side room. Chen Meng glanced around without making any comment on the modest surroundings — he seemed to have taken on a little of the Prime Minister’s manner. “Have I interrupted your study?”

“It’s all right.”

Chen Meng said, “You’re studying the legal codes? Wouldn’t you do better to study the classical histories?”

Zhù Ying smiled: “I’m not the same as you.”

Chen Meng said, “How different can we really be? After this whole affair, you can see that I’m not much better off. That servant — he was one of my stepmother’s dowager-household attendants. That whole thing…”

Zhù Ying said, “I already know.”

“You really do know?”

Zhù Ying smiled: “A stepmother, at that. And the second young master also…”

Chen Meng’s expression fell into sadness. “Well, you know, then — and that’s all right, saves me from having to keep up appearances. Bring it in.” He turned. “This has nothing to do with my maternal uncle or the others — it’s from me. You suffered in all of this, and Jin Liang was dragged into it too. You can’t feel easy about that either — your goodwill with him was spent because of my household’s grudges.”

Zhù Ying accepted without demurring and said, “On that account, I’ll accept it. Though there’s no need for so much — I already have plenty.”

Chen Meng didn’t insist on her taking all of it, and let her keep a portion — some brushes, paper, and a few bolts of new silk — along with several food boxes. Zhù Ying said, “Just in time — a housewarming gift for Big Brother Jin.”

Chen Meng added, “I won’t impose any longer. Once you’ve been assigned your post, I’ll show you around the capital.”

Zhù Ying laughed: “That would be wonderful? A person of your standing, and I…”

Chen Meng said, “I think you’re capable. The talent for investigating cases isn’t something everyone has — you can do it.”

“Oh, stop! I was just fumbling around.”

Chen Meng hesitated at the end, then asked, “Guanqun — are you really completely finished with her? It wasn’t her fault.”

Zhù Ying was quiet for a moment, then said, “I know. It’s only fate playing tricks. Seeing her now wouldn’t be good for her either. Feng’s Madam doesn’t tolerate the slightest disruption. I only hope she can find a good match.”

Chen Meng said, “I could arrange for you to meet — it would actually be better to face each other, say what needs to be said, then both of you can move forward at peace. You can focus on your studies; she can settle herself at home. A clean cut is the kindest cut — good for both of you. And they needn’t know.”

Zhù Ying said, “Very well.”

“Everyone here is busy with the move and won’t have time to notice you. I’ll quietly let her know and invite her over.”

“No need to keep it from the people here. My parents would also like to see Huajie and tell her — they don’t blame her.”

“Good — it’s settled.”

Zhù Ying said, “Young Master, there’s something I’d like to ask you, if you can tell me.”

“What is it?”

“The Madam in your household — what she did was remarkably crude, remarkably foolish. It was far too easy to see through. Why?”

“Didn’t you see for yourself? Why would she need to be clever? Why would she need to be flawless? Whether she succeeded or failed, there would always be my father to shield her. Even without my father, there would be her own father and brothers. In this affair, if not for my father’s swift and decisive action, the mere fact of my being summoned before the court would have been enough to stir up talk. Her purpose would already have been served. Why would she need to scheme so carefully?”

Zhù Ying said, “I understand now.”

“I’ll go. I’ll bring Guanqun to you.”

…

Chen Meng was as good as his word. The very next day, he had his wife invite Huajie out on the pretext of visiting a temple. Feng’s Madam readily gave her permission.

They left the house, paid their respects at the temple, and then Chen Meng’s wife arranged for her own servants to take Feng’s household servants aside for tea. Huajie pretended to rest, went into a meditation room, closed the door — and then slipped away with Chen’s wife’s assistance, leaving the temple and arriving at the Jin household.

By this time, all three members of the Zhù family had just finished their midday meal.

When Huajie caught sight of them, tears came before words: “A’Niang — you’ve suffered so much. I’ve failed you!”

Zhang Xiangu said, “I know — you’re a good person. None of this is your fault!”

Chen’s wife shed a few tears alongside her and said, “Take your time talking — just stop crying first.”

Zhù Ying caught Jin’s wife’s eye. Jin’s wife promptly invited Chen’s wife away for tea. Chen’s wife hesitated. Zhù Ying went and opened the door wide, propping a chair against it to show it wouldn’t be shut. Chen’s wife smiled and followed Jin’s wife out.

Huajie threw herself into Zhang Xiangu’s arms: “A’Niang, I am a sinner! Mother is dead, you’ve been beaten, and by the time I heard, Sanlang had been thrown into prison!”

Zhang Xiangu comforted her at length. Zhù Da said, “It wasn’t your doing — what could you have done? Don’t take it to heart. Find yourself a good family to marry into and live well — your birth mother won’t leave you badly matched.”

Huajie kept shaking her head: “That household — it’s not a good place to be. Mother means well, but good intentions don’t always lead to good outcomes.”

Zhù Da, not knowing quite how to speak with a woman like this, took one look at the three women before him and said, “You talk among yourselves. I’ll step out for a bit.”

That left three women together. Huajie and Zhang Xiangu held each other and wept, both knowing that this engagement was truly over, that this was also a farewell.

Huajie said, “I came to see you and make sure you’re all right. Now that I have, I can set my mind at ease.” She reached into her robe and pulled out a packet of gold and silver, and tried to press it into Zhang Xiangu’s hands.

Zhang Xiangu said, “You’re a young woman on your own — keep it for yourself. At least our family has each other to lean on.”

Huajie shook her head: “Gold and silver in that household are both useful and useless. I used to think that people of learning and refinement were a higher order of being, that what they said must be right and we must be wrong. They spoke of propriety and rules — if we couldn’t live up to them, we’d just have to endure the hardship and follow their ways. That was what ‘proper conduct’ meant. That was what ‘superior people’ were. But in these past days, the more I think about it, the more it seems wrong — and yet I can’t tell where the wrongness lies.”

Zhang Xiangu’s heart ached deeply: If only she could have truly been my daughter-in-law — how wonderful that would have been! And yet she dared not cling to the thought, and said: “You two have things to say to each other — say them quickly. Staying too long isn’t good for Huajie’s name.”

Zhù Ying said, “I told you before we were even engaged — I didn’t mind being used as a shield. You deserve a good man. You just don’t need that man to be me. Mother passed away, and your heart was left hollow for a time, and then all of this happened on top of it. What I want to say to you is: stop thinking about other people, and think about yourself.”

“Sanlang…”

Zhù Ying said, “The Zhū family bled dry your late mother’s energy and snuffed out her spirit. I don’t want to see you waste yourself away for the sake of the surname Zhù. That isn’t right.”

Huajie gave a quiet sigh. “I know. I’ve always known, actually. The way you look at me is quite different from how the eldest young master looked at me. I thought — when you’re a bit older, you’ll understand these things. But now I see: you’ve always thought of me as a sister, not as a wife. You have a warm heart, but it isn’t burning at that particular hearth.”

“A’Jie! You will always be my sister! Whatever else I can’t give you, for anything else you may need, you have only to come to me.”

Huajie said faintly, “Just a few months have gone by, and yet it feels like several lifetimes. It was Mother who decided it back then — I know that, and it was a kind of pressure placed on you. You hold no resentment toward me — that already means the world to me. We are all good people. I am where I am now, and as for what comes next — who can say.” She paused. “You’ve made your feelings clear to me. I understand.”

Zhù Ying said with a catch in her voice, “A’Jie, I have one thing I want to tell you. Please remember it.”

“Go ahead.”

“The Prime Minister, your maternal uncle, your mother — and many others to come. Even those who have treated me harshly have still treated you well. Even when they’re harsh, they are more reasonable than those people in Zhūjiazhuang, like Si A’Weng. Am I right?”

“That’s true enough. But…”

Zhù Ying said, “Their way of eating is more presentable. When I say ‘more presentable,’ I mean they are somewhat better than those with an ugly way of eating about them — not that they don’t eat at all. Remember: as long as they’re still eating, it doesn’t matter how presentable or how ugly they look about it.”

Huajie said through her tears, “I know. I should go now. Keep this packet of gold and silver — consider it a small token for our time together. We’ll look out for each other, and someday when I need you again, I’ll come.”

“All right.” Zhù Ying gestured for Zhang Xiangu to take the money and then went to lift the door curtain.

With a clatter, the gold and silver coins spilled all over the floor from Zhang Xiangu’s hands. She rushed forward to gather them — and Huajie, pointing to a dark stain on the back hem of Zhù Ying’s long robe, asked, “Sanlang, what’s that…?”