Su Zhe sorted through the official documents on her desk, organizing them by category. She picked out the more urgent ones and replied to them, then set aside the ones requiring Zhù Ying’s approval. Checking the time, she tucked the documents under her arm and went to the rear of the compound to find Zhù Ying.
As she made her way back, she saw Du Dajie leading Lin Feng’s wife toward the inner quarters. Lin Niangzi greeted her first: “Back already?”
Su Zhe glanced at the slight swell of the woman’s belly and smiled in return. “Yes. And you’re here for…?”
Lin Niangzi looked a little embarrassed. “There’s something I’d like to speak to the Elder about. I won’t be getting in the way of your official business, will I?”
Su Zhe waved her hand. “Not at all, not at all. You go on ahead — I just got back myself and haven’t even seen Auntie yet. I’ll look in on Auntie first, then go find the Elder.”
Lin Niangzi then went off with Du Dajie.
Su Zhe stood where she was for a short while, then followed along the same route they had taken — at this hour, Huajie was at the school, so why would she be in the rear courtyard? It was merely a pretext.
She showed the guard at the door the official documents in her hand, then made a hushing gesture. The guards nodded and did not announce her right away. Su Zhe stood quietly beneath the eave of the corridor and listened to the voices inside.
“Elder, the child’s mother and father are both gone. Please, show her a little more compassion.”
Then came Zhù Ying’s voice: “I understand. I’ll have a word with Lin Feng. Bring the child over tomorrow.”
Lin Niangzi said happily, “Yes! I’ll go home and pack her clothes right away.”
Su Zhe thought: Is this about that child? Is the Elder going to take her in and raise her here at the command office? What is the story behind all this?
Inside, Lin Niangzi finished her business and took her leave in good spirits. The moment she stepped out the door, she saw Su Zhe. “Back so soon? Didn’t Auntie ask you to stay and chat a while?”
Su Zhe nodded, then gestured toward the room inside. Lin Niangzi said, “The Elder is in there. If you have business, go on ahead.”
Su Zhe hurried inside, and immediately heard Zhù Ying’s voice, tinged with amusement: “Auntie?”
Su Zhe smiled sheepishly and set the documents she was carrying down on Zhù Ying’s desk. “I ran into her on the way and thought she looked troubled, so I didn’t come in with her. These are today’s matters — there’s the new Empress, the congratulatory memorial, the gifts…”
Annan still considered itself a territory of the imperial court. With the Emperor remarrying, it was proper to offer congratulations. The gifts Annan sent to the capital were a carefully stratified affair: for the Emperor, they struck a tone of sincerity over material value; for high-ranking officials like Zheng and Chen, the emphasis was on tangible benefit — either costly goods or the exchange of interests. For Zhù Ying’s old acquaintances, the focus was on practical usefulness. As for everyone else, the answer was simply: nothing.
The distinctions were perfectly clear.
Zhù Ying said, “Fine. I’ll draft the congratulatory memorial myself; we can co-sign it afterward.”
Su Zhe thought for a moment, then brought up Su Sheng: “Please arrange something for him. Given the state of affairs in that household, he won’t be able to return for some time.” But she did not elaborate on the grievances Su Sheng had suffered. Those who came out of the command office could not afford to be seen bearing grudges, and it was not fitting to air one’s family troubles all over the place.
Zhù Ying said, “I’ve already spoken with him about that. He’ll stay on in Xizhou for now. But what about you — you’ve left your child back in the village just like that?”
Su Zhe said, “Yes. It gives A’Ma someone to keep her company. I gave birth to him in the village precisely so that the villagers could witness it — so that everyone would know he is my son, not some child pulled out of nowhere to fill a gap. Letting him grow up there will ensure that people know who he is.”
This was the fruit of long deliberation. Asu County was the ancestral heartland of the Asu clan — it was not something to be lightly abandoned. Su Zhe’s own childhood had taught her this: Su Mingluan had sent her to study at Zhù Ying’s side so that she could better inherit the family legacy. Now, placing her child back in the village was the very same impulse.
Zhù Ying said, “That’s well. But don’t neglect the lessons — he’s still young, but in a couple of years he must study seriously.”
“Yes. I’ve already told A’Ma to find a good teacher to give him his foundational instruction.”
“Don’t look for someone from outside,” Zhù Ying cautioned. “Reading all those outside notions of social hierarchy and moral doctrine will ruin him. Think about what kind of lessons those outside teachers give children. If you put a smooth, level road right in front of someone, they will want to walk it. If he walks that road, it won’t be good for you.”
Su Zhe’s expression grew serious. “Understood. By the way, the Lin family just came by — is it true that you’re going to have that child live here at the command office?”
The child she referred to was Lin Feng’s niece, an orphan. Lin Feng had brought her into his household out of genuine kindness, but Annan was a busy place and Lin Feng was always occupied. An uncle naturally could not be too close with a niece, so he had handed the girl over to his wife. The girl was well past the age for schooling; during the day she was dropped off at the school where teachers looked after her, and in the evenings she came home to eat and sleep.
Before her parents died, this child had hardly attended school at all. At first she could not keep up, and at that time the Xizhou settlement was not yet complete — the school was still housed in the official academy at Wuzhou. Huajie had made a special point of looking out for her, arranging for her to study alongside younger children. Gradually she had learned to read and to speak the official language, and she was diligent; she did not appear to be slow.
When they later moved to Xizhou, she continued to live with her aunt. The Lin family owned a house of their own in Xizhou, and it was not a small one — they had no shortage of space for a single girl’s room and two maids. But Lin Feng was rarely home, and Lin Niangzi’s own learning was not equal to the girl’s needs; she was capable of managing the household, but she could not help with schoolwork.
On top of that, the Lin family also had a son who was already toddling around destroying things in every corner of the house — he was at the peak of his mischief. Lin Niangzi, who was now pregnant again and still managing the household, had more than enough on her hands.
For all these reasons, the girl’s already behind-schedule lessons showed faint signs of slipping further. Huajie had noticed, and mentioned it in passing during a leisurely visit home. Zhù Ying had then asked Lin Niangzi about it.
Which led to the present situation.
Zhù Ying said, “Her household simply cannot spare any attention right now. I happen to have a spare room here. Zhao Ji and the others, A’Pu — they’re all going to school. In a few more years, they’ll be able to give you a hand, and everyone will have a little more breathing room.”
Su Zhe said, “That’s true. A pity mine is still too small — otherwise he really should come and put in some real work.”
Zhù Ying said, “Once he’s a bit older, bring him over. A person can’t spend their whole life reading without doing anything — that’s how one goes dull. How many of the court’s great officials are just that — dullards?”
Su Zhe burst out laughing. “Indeed. Well then — shall I go with Wu Ren and the others to prepare the congratulatory gifts now?”
“Go ahead.”
The next day was a day of rest. Lin Niangzi personally brought her niece Lin Ge over. Huajie had not gone out that day and waited alongside Zhù Ying to receive the girl. Huajie felt a measure of affection for this child who had lost both parents that went beyond what she might feel for others. Annan allocated funds for the care of orphans, and the children left fatherless by the western campaign were all being raised under Zhù Ying’s care. But Lin Ge’s situation was different from theirs: the others had lost parents who were martyrs and heroes, killed by enemies. Lin Ge’s father had been killed by her own great-uncle, and her mother had abandoned her children.
Huajie took Lin Ge by the hand and said, “From now on you’ll live with me. Come, let me introduce you to everyone. You’ve met this person before — don’t be afraid. She was even the one who gave you your name.” When Lin Ge’s parents were still alive, she of course had gone by a different name. When Lin Feng brought her to school, she needed a proper study name. Lin Feng had a rare flash of inspiration at that moment and asked Zhù Ying to give the child a new name. Zhù Ying did not decline, and named her Lin Ge.
Lin Ge knew who this person was. She knelt properly before Zhù Ying: “Elder!”
Zhù Ying gave a small nod. Lin Ge was slightly taller than most southern girls her age, with fair skin, regular features, and large eyes that held a cool light. Her expression was somewhat somber, and that quality lent a faint shadow to her fair complexion.
Zhù Ying said, “Come — you’ve met these people before. A’Pu.”
A’Pu was about the same age as Lin Ge, but far more cheerful and easy-going. He grinned broadly at her. “Now we can go to school together from the command office and come back together! The food here is good.”
Lin Ge gave him a nod of acknowledgment. A’Pu could not help adding, “That won’t do, you know — you need to talk more. Talking more is the only way to get good at the official language.”
Lang Rui said, “Mind your own mouth.”
“I didn’t say anything wrong.”
Zhù Ying said, “All right, enough bickering. What he said isn’t wrong, but the child only just arrived — save that topic for another day.”
“Oh…”
Huajie held Lin Ge’s hand and said softly, as a gentle reassurance, “Well, you see what they’re like. You’ll get to know them slowly.”
Lin Ge silently nodded. She spoke even less than Wu Ren did around strangers. Huajie and Zhù Ying made no effort to force her. Huajie wanted to have Du Dajie help the girl settle in, but Lin Niangzi said, “Let me, let me — I brought all her things.” Her expression was slightly apologetic.
Du Dajie said, “This way, please, Niangzi.”
Zhù Ying then turned to Zhao Ji and the others: “Today is a rest day, so I won’t be quizzing you on your lessons. Go and play — we’ll all eat together later.”
With a whoosh, the whole group of young ones scattered.
Huajie watched with a smile as they ran further and further away, disappeared around a corner, and she shook her head. “I’ll go check on Lin Ge.”
“Du Dajie is with her. Stay and help me with something.”
“What is it?”
Zhù Ying said, “Going forward, I’d like you to select some well-rounded children from the school and bring them to live here at the command office.”
Huajie agreed readily, then hesitated and asked, “What is this for, exactly? Are you planning to raise them here the way you did with A’Lian and the others when they were young, or are you going to have them work like the official students? Or something else?”
Zhù Ying smiled. “Aren’t those the same thing in the end?”
Huajie drew closer and said quietly, “I thought you were counting on Qingjun and the others…”
“But I can’t rely on just those few, can I? I can’t afford to know only them. In the early days everything was lacking, and nothing came readily to hand. Now that things have settled, of course we keep building up reserves of talent. There is no better place in all of Annan than right here beside me. It’s not that I’m giving up on Qingjun, A’Lian, and the rest — they are one generation, and most of them have now reached the age for marriage and children. I should be turning my attention to the next generation. Talented people are not the same as ordinary people: for ordinary people, one generation spans twenty or thirty years of birth and growth. For talent, if ten years pass without a new cohort ready, things become very difficult.”
“Qingjun is outstanding, of course — just a little stretched thin. And Xiaomei…” Huajie’s voice carried a note of quiet sighing.
Zhù Ying said, “She’s doing very well.”
“Is she?”
“When Xiaomei first came to our home, what did her mother and all of us hope for her?”
“We hoped she could manage the household — that she could hold her ground in the Asu clan and not be driven out by her uncles and cousins.”
“She manages the household with more than enough to spare, and she’s even able to give me a hand. What is there to complain about?” Zhù Ying said. “From the very beginning, she was bound for a path where she would never abandon her family’s legacy. She has already met and exceeded every expectation. I may not be terribly skilled at raising children, but I don’t teach them nothing. As it happens, Lin Ge’s arrival at the command office is an opportunity — consider it a spur of inspiration that her situation ignited in me.”
Huajie said, “Very well then. Let me draw up a list and give it to you. You look at the people, and then make the final call. How does that sound?”
Zhù Ying said, “You’ve thought exactly as I have.”
The two exchanged a smile.
Du Dajie chose precisely that moment to return, bringing Lin Niangzi, Lin Ge, and the others — they had already put the luggage away.
Du Dajie said, “Niangzi is far too generous — she brought so much gold and silk.”
Lin Niangzi smiled. “Their household was raised up by the Elder’s hand. Now he can handle his own duties — how could we still take advantage of the Elder in matters of money?”
Zhù Ying said, “There’s no need for formalities. Keep it. Lin Ge, you hold on to it.”
Only then did Lin Ge make a sound: “Yes.”
“Come. Let’s eat.”