Zhao Ji’s mouth fell slightly open. A smile with a touch of foolishness to it emerged unbidden; he immediately tried to press the upturned corners of his lips back down — and failed.

The others with him were classmates of similar age, none yet twenty, with traces of youthfulness still on their faces and excitement plain in their eyes. Male and female alike, most had not yet reached the age when one can conceal what lies in the heart. Zhù Ying could read those young faces clearly as they broke into smiles — bright, energetic, and in that very earnest effort to hide the feeling, utterly charming.

Zhao Ji managed to settle himself somewhat and asked, voice carrying just a note of excitement, “Elder, we’re still young — will it really work out?”

He thought himself quite composed. Zhù Ying still listened with a smile to that small thread of nerves in him. She turned the question back: “You think it won’t?”

“No, no, no! It will, it will.”

Zhù Ying said, “There you have it. You few will rotate through the various departments taking in duties as assigned — go through each one in turn. After a year or two, we’ll settle on your specific posts.”

Zhao Ji said, “Yes!”

He was the de facto head of this group: his results were solid, and his background meant he had more familiarity with the workings of the command office and official administration. The others took their cues from him; seeing him accept, they followed: “Yes.”

Zhù Ying glanced at Zhù Qingxue. Zhù Qingxue picked up a stack of papers. “Take one each. Your name and your assignment are written on yours. I’ll take you around now to meet people. Here are your access passes — you’ll use these to enter and leave the command office. Which areas you may enter and which you ought not to pry into, I’ll explain on the way.” She then took up a handful of passes.

Zhù Ying said, “Go now. The sooner you get there, the sooner they can show you around — and you’ll be able to start working first thing tomorrow. They’ve been waiting for someone to put to use.”

Zhù Qingxue said with a smile, “Follow me.”

The group moved through the command office. Zhao Ji knew the place well. A classmate poked him in the back. “Zhao da, where are we headed?”

Zhao Ji said, “Probably to the Six Departments…”

The office of regional military governor had not been a permanent post in the past; it became established under Zhù Ying. The staffing of the command office therefore differed somewhat from earlier models. Under the principle of “I’m setting the precedent, so I’ll arrange it however is most practical,” Zhù Ying had adjusted, added, and removed various functions. Beyond the fields of agricultural management and logistics that the court had long set, the other functions were modeled on the court’s own structure while also drawing on local administrative practice.

The court had Six Ministries; the command office had Six Departments: Personnel, Finance, Rites, Military, Justice, and Works. The court had Nine Offices, but the command office had no need for so many — functions were consolidated, with some portions assigned down to the Six Departments. As with the court, military matters were handled with special care, operating under a division of authority and requiring Zhù Ying’s personal approval for any troop movements.

Similarly, the command office had its internal and external sides: “internal” referred to matters within the compound, “external” to Annan’s official affairs. Finances too were separated between internal and external, each running its own accounts.

Zhao Ji followed behind Zhù Qingxue and studied the command office with fresh eyes. Though he had lived here before and been free to wander, he had never looked this carefully at any of it.

Zhù Qingxue heard them talking and turned her head. “Anything you want to know, I’ll give you a general explanation. Spend enough time here and you’ll learn it all — the Elder likes nothing better than to see curious young people.”

“Yes!” The group became animated.

Zhao Ji asked, “Elder Sister, what exactly are we right now?”

Zhù Qingxue smiled. “Apprentices. Give it a year or two, work hard and do well — then we can issue you proper appointment documents and seals, and report your names to the court.”

Zhao Ji had already been thinking along these lines: “All I have is a slip of paper — nothing like the appointment letters and official credentials my father has at home, no seal, no marking — I had no idea what it meant.” Now Zhù Qingxue had explained everything clearly, and he had no further questions. According to court conventions, his father was a regional governor — entering official service, he would at least start with some kind of rank. But Annan was not the court, so he listened without protest and settled himself. The ways of the Zhao family and the experience of the Qi family before them — neither had ever been led astray by Zhù Ying. Zhao Ji could bide his time.

His classmates understood these matters even less than he did. None had his background or his familiarity with official circles. Two of the classmates were from minor official families in Zhu County and Gan County — they too had the Zhù surname — while the others were children of ordinary families in Wuzhou. Their understanding of the command office was limited to knowing which direction the main gate faced and the fact that the woman overseeing their school was Huajie.

They looked at one another. Some questions emerged: “What time do we arrive in the morning?” “Do we keep wearing these clothes?” “Where will I be sent?” “What exactly will we be doing?”

Zhù Qingxue said, “I’ll go over all of these at once in a moment. Don’t worry — this is a good thing. The reason we’re not giving you official titles right away is so we can see where each of your particular strengths lie, which will allow you to put them to proper use later. Come, Zhao Ji — we’re at your stop.”

Zhao Ji was assigned to the Finance Department, where Wu Ren was in charge. Wu Ren oversaw four people including Jiang Zhen, and these five held official posts. Beyond them there were some ten or so clerks. Zhao Ji’s current position sat somewhere between a clerk and the level of Jiang Zhen and the others. Jiang Zhen was only a few years older than Zhao Ji — already a young woman with a formal appointment. Zhao Ji made a quiet resolve: he would not do worse than she had.

Zhù Qingxue led the group in. Wu Ren looked up to see a crowd of people and felt a jolt in her chest. Zhù Qingxue said, “The Elder has sent you more staff.”

Wu Ren reflexively smiled — then her smile vanished. “All of these are…?”

“Not quite so generous. Just one: Zhao Ji.”

Wu Ren exhaled with relief, and her smile became entirely genuine: “Wonderful. I’ve been saying for ages that I’m short of people — they kept promising they’d send someone, and today one has finally arrived. Old Master Qi was a gifted hand at accounts; Zhao Ji is certain to be fine.”

Zhù Qingxue said, “He might not stay with you, though.”

“What? You’re taking him back too?”

Zhù Qingxue then explained the rotation arrangement. Wu Ren said, “That’s fine too — but he stays with me first.” Beside her, Jiang Zhen felt Wu Ren was being too soft and quickly added: “If he works well here, no one is going to pull him away!”

Zhù Qingxue shook her head in laughing exasperation. “That’s up to the Elder — not my call. You’ve all met Wu Chief now. In a little while you’ll all be rotating through here too, so stay alert — don’t only pay attention to wherever you’re first assigned. When the rotation comes, no one is going to lead you around again. Zhao Ji, come with me — I’ll show you the other departments too.”

Jiang Zhen said, “You’re taking him away right now?”

“I’ll send Zhao Ji on his own tomorrow.”

Jiang Zhen saw that Wu Ren was curious too, and said, “Then I’ll come along with you — once you’ve shown everyone around, I’ll bring Zhao Ji back so he doesn’t end up wandering into walls.”

Zhao Ji had been living in the command office since he arrived, and had a younger brother there too. The Zhao family had their own house in Xizhou, but both brothers were still living at the command office. Saying he’d “end up wandering” was a bit of a stretch — Zhù Qingxue could see she was looking for an excuse to tag along, but let it go. “Then you say nothing.”

“Agreed.”

The group bid farewell to Wu Ren and moved on. Xiang An’s section was overseen by Wu Shuang; Lu Danqing in the Military Department was with Lang Rui; Huajie held Rites — though she was at the school now, so the remaining officer in Rites was Jiang Bao.

Zhù Qingxue finished the full tour and said, “Let me show you the dining hall — meals are provided twice a day…”

She walked them through the layout of the command office’s front courtyard. The rear courtyard, naturally, was off limits. Beyond that, storerooms and the accounts office were not to be entered casually. She pointed out where the transport animals and conveyances were kept, showed them the duty room, the wells, and other essentials. Finally she said, “That’s all of it. Take your things. Tomorrow morning, be here for the morning assembly — don’t be late.” She named the hour.

The young people, charged with nervous excitement, said their yeses. Zhù Qingxue sighed. “I didn’t think this would take so long. Everything will be locking up shortly, and there’s no time to get back now. Start your assignments tomorrow. If anything comes up, speak to your supervisor first. If you can’t get it sorted or there’s anything else, you can also come find me.”

She turned to the trailing group — Jiang Zhen, Jiang Bao, Wu Shuang — and said, “Since you’re all here anyway, help me see them out. Tomorrow morning, come to the gate and bring them in… “

The three young women’s smiling faces went still. Zhao Ji said, “I’ll go to the gate in the morning to meet them, Elder Sisters. You’ll have the morning assembly to report to the Elder afterward.”

Zhù Qingxue said, “The assembly is in the front hall. Bring them there, then scatter to your departments — you go to the Finance Department.”

“Yes.” Zhao Ji, seeing that his classmates looked as though they had questions, said he would see them out himself. Wu Shuang clapped him on the back and thanked him.

Zhù Qingxue and the others departed briskly. Zhao Ji said, “Follow me.”

The classmates gathered around him. “Zhao da, is the Elder very stern?”

“She walks around the city all the time — haven’t any of you run into her? She’s the finest person there is.”

“We don’t mean that — someone can be wonderful in ordinary life and strict in official matters, or the other way around. Is she strict or lenient?”

Zhao Ji said, “Good brothers, this is my very first posting too.”

“Hasn’t your family told you anything?”

Zhao Ji said, “The things the Elder had my father doing back when I was old enough to remember bear no resemblance to what we’ll be doing.”

Fair point!

They began asking about each supervisor’s temperament. Zhao Ji said, “None of them are unkind. Their personalities range from quick to measured, but they’re all serious about their work. I haven’t worked alongside any of them, though. Oh — one thing: treat Auntie and Lady Zhù, the wife of Elder Brother Zhù, with respect. Over there in the small meeting hall there is also Lady Su — the Elder has put her in charge of Annan’s day-to-day affairs now, and we’ll all be working with her…”

They were approaching the gate. “Standing in the gateway isn’t good. You head back, and I’ll be here to meet you tomorrow morning.”

The classmates left with many a backward glance, and once outside the compound some were already composing in their heads what they would say to their supervisors the next day.

Zhao Ji turned back into the compound, intending to see Zhù Ying first. He knew Wu Ren’s personality — going to find her alone would probably not yield much. The command office was very familiar to him. The passes they had been issued today did not allow entry into the rear residence, but he himself was permitted. He made his way to the outside of Zhù Ying’s study in the rear of the compound, coughed first, and then asked the guard, “Elder Sister, I’m here to see the Elder.”

The guard was from Zhu County and looked at him with warmth, smiling: “Lady Su from the Su family is inside. Wait a moment.”

“All right.”

Zhù Ying’s voice came from within: “Who is it?”

The guard said, “It’s Zhao Dalang.”

“Come in.”

Zhao Ji entered, first bowing to Zhù Ying, then clasping his hands toward Su Zhe: “Elder Sister.”

Su Zhe said with a laugh, “Same person, same clothes — but the moment I heard you’d be starting your duties, I looked at you just now and somehow you seem to have grown up.”

Zhao Ji bent his head slightly and arranged his face into an expression of bashfulness.

Su Zhe said, “Elder, I’ll take my leave then.” She added to Zhao Ji in a low voice that if there was anything he didn’t understand or couldn’t handle, he could come find her. Zhao Ji also replied quietly that he would.

After Su Zhe left, Zhù Ying tilted her chin upward. “If you have something to say, sit down and take your time.”

Zhao Ji sat obediently and said, “Elder, I don’t quite understand something.”

“What don’t you understand?”

“Why arrange things this way? I’ve heard that when the Elder takes in students, she doesn’t only have them study — she has them do things as well, so that when they enter service and govern a region, they manage quite effectively. The current arrangement seems different from what I’d heard — there’s no… well, no going down to the countryside, no assignment to a specific task. Won’t this be too insubstantial?”

Zhù Ying said, “You feel this isn’t ‘real work’? You want to learn a ‘true skill’?”

Zhao Ji touched the back of his head in embarrassment.

“It’s only that I haven’t assigned you any task yet — your supervisors will,” Zhù Ying said.

“Ah!” Zhao Ji brightened.

He was about to take his leave when Huajie arrived with Lin Ge and Zhù Tong. Zhao Ji quickly rose, calling out “Elder Auntie,” and his gaze lingered a moment on Zhù Tong — he had not seen her before.

Zhù Tong shifted slightly on her feet, both hands clutching the edge of her sleeves. She was nervous. Her younger siblings had once received sweets from Zhang Xiangu, and she had seen Zhù Ying speaking with people — very warmly, she had thought. But for some reason, upon entering the command office, upon entering this room, her back had broken out in goosebumps and instinctive unease gripped her.

Huajie introduced Zhù Tong. Zhù Ying said, “Ah, the child Qingjun mentioned — how are your younger brothers and sisters?”

Zhù Tong’s voice came out slightly hoarse. She coughed twice and it returned to normal: “All well. They’re at the school.” At first, the children had all been very young. Zhù Qingjun’s original intention was to find someone to look after them — a common enough outcome after the war; either placement in a children’s home, or adoption by childless families. At the time Zhù Tong had been following Zhù Qingjun as a guide, and could not bring the younger ones along, so they had been left in the care of Zhu County.

Once the fighting was done, Zhù Tong herself was still young — young enough to be a boarding student or apprentice herself. She had pleaded with Zhù Qingjun to be given a place of her own, and only then managed to bring her siblings to live together. Because of her service, and because they were orphans, they had not yet received a land allotment, but the command office provided a subsidy for cases like theirs. The older ones pulled along the younger, and so they got by.

Zhù Tong said, “All well — enough to eat and warm enough to wear.” The children divided the household chores among themselves. It was hard work, but at least they were together. Zhù Qingjun came to check on them when she was back in Xizhou, and sometimes asked Qingye and others to look in on them as well.

Huajie said, “I’ve arranged everything. She’ll stay with me, and her younger siblings stay at the school dormitory — both looked after. During holidays they come home and reunite.” That way Zhù Tong would not be so exhausted with managing the household on her own.

Zhù Ying said, “Good. Go and draw two strings of coins from the accounts, put them with the school as an emergency fund. Children sometimes have sudden needs — if they can’t find their elder sister, won’t things get stuck?”

Zhao Ji watched until the end and felt a new question forming in him. He waited quietly until Huajie had led the others away, then asked, “Is the family going to have new arrivals? Are they guests?”

Zhù Ying said, “Much like you — in a couple of years, they’ll be starting to work too.”

Zhao Ji gave a sly grin. “Then they must all be very clever young ladies — just like us lot today.”

Zhù Ying said, “Your father and mother combined are not as slick-tongued as you.”

“Hehe.”

“Off you go.”

“Yes!”

Elder Sister Hu watched everyone leave and ventured a question: “My lord, why don’t you keep a few young attendants close by yourself?”

Zhù Ying was now managing somewhat less directly than before and was not particularly busy, but Elder Sister Hu always felt the household head had too few people around her. Back in the mountains outside, students had surrounded her; in the capital there had been Su Zhe and other juniors. How was it that now in Annan, those students and juniors had all been sent out, and she actually had fewer people beside her?

There was still Qingye before, but now even she had been given duties. At this point it was mainly Qingxue who ran around taking care of things, with the rest mostly clerks. Su Zhe had just come by wanting someone sent over to help her, which prompted Elder Sister Hu to feel she ought to say something.

Zhù Ying said, “It won’t be long now.” Lin Ge and Zhù Tong were just the beginning; starting tomorrow, Huajie would bring people by to meet her one by one. The only reason they had not come yet was that the dormitory next to the command office was still being readied.

Elder Sister Hu also said, “Could I… ask for a few quick-witted children myself? I’d like to take on some apprentices.”

“Of course,” said Zhù Ying.

Elder Sister Hu smiled too. Her family’s inherited skills were nothing compared to matters of state, but she did not want the techniques to be buried with her. In the past she had taught Su Zhe and others some basic forms and fighting skills, but gradually, like fledglings leaving the nest, their attention had drifted elsewhere.

Elder Sister Hu understood — everyone’s path was different. If she wanted apprentices, she would need to look elsewhere. She also worried about Zhù Ying’s safety; she herself was getting on in years, no longer as quick as in her youth. A good apprentice was needed, someone to whom the responsibility of guarding Zhù Ying could be passed.

The sky outside was darkening. Zhù Qingxue walked in with a household helper: “Elder, shall I light the lamps?” The helper carried a basket containing candles, waiting only for a word.

Zhù Ying said, “Not yet. New people arrived today — let’s eat first. After dinner come back and light them. And ask Su Sheng to come too.”

“Yes.”

Zhù Qingxue repeated the instructions silently to herself, stepped aside to let Zhù Ying pass, and then looked past the doorway — a short man in a messenger’s uniform walked in quickly. “Elder! An urgent dispatch from the capital!”

Zhù Ying and Zhù Qingxue exchanged a glance. Zhù Qingxue stepped forward and accepted the leather document tube, carried it to the desk, opened it, withdrew the documents inside, and presented them to Zhù Ying with both hands.

Zhù Ying opened the document and read it without any change of expression. “Where is the messenger?”

“Resting at the gate.”

“Bring him in. Light the lamps.”

The helper sprang to the lamp stand.

One by one, candles were lit. The messenger arrived and knelt. “Military Governor!”

Zhù Ying said, “Do you know the contents of the document you carried?”

“It concerns military affairs.”

“What is the atmosphere in the capital? What movement did you observe along the way?”

“The capital is calm. Along the road… conscription is underway.”

Zhù Ying waved a hand. The uniformed man led the messenger away to be settled. Zhù Qingxue had not taken her eyes off Zhù Ying. Zhù Ying picked up her brush and wrote out a hand order. “Have Lin Feng come and eat with us as well. This — send it to Jin Yu at Western Pass.”

The Western Tribes were showing signs of movement. The Council of State was asking for information and requesting that Zhù Ying make covert inquiries and prepare to “hold them in check.”