Zhang Xiangu’s face went white. Forgetting all about the scattered coins, she made to step around in front of Zhù Ying in two or three quick strides.

Zhù Ying was quick on her feet. Before Zhang Xiangu could get behind her, she had already twisted her upper body and flipped up the hem of her robe. Huajie’s mouth fell open as she stared at the back of Zhù Ying’s trousers, at the rear seam.

Zhang Xiangu’s knees gave out, and she sat down on the floor.

Zhù Ying didn’t understand what was happening and asked, “What’s the matter?”

But the question had barely left her lips when she saw the expressions on the two women’s faces and felt that something was very wrong.

Huajie’s heart was hammering. She stepped to the doorway, moved the chair away, and closed the door. Zhù Ying said in surprise, “A’Jie?”

Seeing what Huajie was doing, Zhang Xiangu scrambled up from the floor and said, “Huajie, about this matter…”

Any grown woman would know at once what this was. Zhù Ying had gotten her first menstrual period. What woman hadn’t been through it herself? A few days every month, the discomfort below, and the constant worry about walking, sitting, lying, and standing — would the blood seep through and stain one’s clothes? As much as possible, one avoided going out or being seen. Over time it became associated with being “inauspicious” and something to “keep away from others.”

When one absolutely had to go out, one kept glancing behind oneself, or asking a companion, “Check for me — is the back of my clothes dirty?”

No need to spell out what kind of “dirty” was meant — a companion would always understand and know exactly what was being asked. She would step back two paces and say, “No, you’re fine,” or, “There’s a bit — walk ahead of me, I’ll follow behind and cover it for you.”

Huajie had recognized the signal. Zhang Xiangu, the spirit-woman, couldn’t even find the words for a cover story. She was completely numb. She said, “It’s just as you see it. I beg you — please don’t say anything yet. Give us a chance to run, at least. Consider it a kindness for the sake of our friendship.”

Huajie looked at Zhù Ying. She still seemed a little lost, yet also as though she had just understood something. Huajie asked, “Are you a girl?”

“Yes.”

“Then… does your father know?”

Zhang Xiangu jumped in and said, “I told him I’d given birth to a son — that’s how I managed to keep her! By the time he found out, she was already raised and it was too late to do anything else, so we just went on raising her.”

Huajie heard the first few words and knew how the story ended. Such things were far too common — when a girl was born, she wasn’t raised; abandoned if you were lucky, drowned if you weren’t.

Huajie stared at Zhù Ying for a long moment, then at Zhang Xiangu, whose eyes were full of worry, but also full of unflinching resolve.

She asked Zhang Xiangu, “The broken engagement…”

Zhang Xiangu answered without missing a beat: “We would have liked to handle it properly — but she had never thought well of our family to begin with. If we’d spoken plainly, do you think it would have made any difference? Except we had no way into your door, and when we tried, we were beaten and chased out like beggars. We expected to be looked down upon — we just didn’t expect to be looked down upon quite like that! Poor people have nowhere to turn. We can only take it one step at a time. If the next step can’t be taken, we die. But the step still has to be taken.”

Huajie sighed. Only with a mother of such boldness could Zhù Ying have led this kind of life.

“You… do you still want to sit the examination and become an official?” She held her breath, and the question came out very softly — so softly it was as though she felt that if she breathed too hard, others might hear.

Zhù Ying nodded without a moment’s hesitation: “Yes!”

Huajie felt her heart about to leap out of her chest! She pressed her hand over it, breathing in thin, quick little gasps, and said: “Hearing you say that, I’m so glad — you must do it. You absolutely must pass the examination. One day, when you become an official, it will be as though I became one too.”

“A’Jie!”

“You did call me A’Jie, didn’t you? Didn’t you say I was your sister? Your younger sister…” She paused. “No, I should still call you Sanlang. Don’t let it slip. Sanlang — you must do it. I truly hope that someday I can call you mei mei, tell others that my little sister became an official, and have no fear of getting you into trouble for saying so.”

Huajie’s tears fell silently, while the expression on her face was one of pure happiness. Zhù Ying felt a prickling in her nose and her own tears came: “A’Jie.”

Huajie drew her into her arms and stroked her hair. “Before — sometimes I would think, I’ll be shameless and hold you close just once — would that help? But I let that wish go. Today I finally hold you close. Sanlang, you’re even taller than me now. You smell so clean.”

Zhang Xiangu said, “She can do it! And you could do it too, if you wanted.”

Huajie smiled, a smile tinged with grief. “Not me — too many people already know I’m a woman. As soon as they know I’m a woman, every road closes to me. Besides, how could I compare to those scholars? I’ve only learned a few characters and can do a bit of accounting.”

She released Zhù Ying and said, “A’Niang, we shouldn’t just stand here talking — we need to help Sanlang get changed quickly. We can’t let anyone see.”

Zhang Xiangu sprang to her feet: “I’ll go find something! My things haven’t been moved to the new house yet!”

While Zhang Xiangu went to look for what was needed, Huajie said to Zhù Ying, “Where are your clothes? Find a clean set quickly. Let me tell you — when your monthly cycle comes, you have to be careful. You can’t go throwing yourself around the way you always have. Down below — a woman must always be clean. Don’t let it get wet from cold water or dirty water. Watch what you eat too. The rest of the time you can do as you like, but during those few days, don’t eat anything cold…”

Her upbringing, though not lavishly wealthy, had been more careful than most, and she went through every precaution with Zhù Ying one by one. She also mentioned two folk remedies: “If you get menstrual cramps, you can try these to regulate yourself. Be careful when seeing a physician — I’ve met two good ones in my time. Skilled physicians, when they take the pulse, can tell you far more than just whether you’re male or female — they can practically recite your ancestors going back eight generations…”

Zhù Ying committed everything to memory and found a fresh set of clothes. Zhang Xiangu returned as well, holding a menstrual band. Zhù Ying looked at it for a moment, and Zhang Xiangu said in some embarrassment, “What are you staring at? There’s nothing to stare at. You’ll be seeing plenty of these from now on!”

Huajie also told Zhù Ying: “Change it often.”

Zhang Xiangu said, “Should we move back to our own house? Now that we’re living at Jin’s — if someone else discovers this…”

Zhù Ying said, “Just be careful — that’s all. If I suddenly change my mind after agreeing to stay, and can’t give a good reason for it, that’s what would make people suspicious. I’m not going out these days, and not mixing with anyone. Once the examination is over, we’ll move back anyway.”

Huajie said, “That makes sense. Now go and get changed.”

Zhù Ying went to change, and Huajie and Zhang Xiangu showed her how to use the menstrual band and went over the precautions. Zhang Xiangu said, “When your time comes, tell me. Your clothes these days can’t go to the others for washing — we can’t let them find out.”

Zhù Ying took all of it in and said, “Understood.”

She had barely finished changing when Huajie bent down to collect the spilled coins. Just then, Chen’s wife came and knocked on the door: “Oh dear — why is the door closed? What’s going on?”

Zhang Xiangu went to open it. Chen’s wife saw Zhù Ying in a fresh set of clothes and was both startled and annoyed: “What is the meaning of this?”

Huajie’s hands paused as she finished collecting the gold and silver into a handkerchief, then stood. “She was being stubborn about taking it, and we accidentally spilled the tea and the ink all over her. A’Niang, please keep it.” She held out the wrapped coins to Zhang Xiangu.

Chen’s wife looked Huajie over and saw that her own clothing was perfectly undisturbed, and felt a great wave of relief. “Look what a scene you’ve made of this!” She also urged Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Ying to accept the gift.

Jin’s wife, noticing that they all seemed to have been crying, silently cursed Feng’s Madam for causing such misery, and joined in the encouragement: “Accept it.” With eyes full of compassion, she gently touched Huajie’s face, took the wrapped handkerchief of coins, and passed it to Zhang Xiangu. Zhang Xiangu accepted it, and her own tears came: “What a state of affairs all this is!”

Jin’s wife said, “I’ll have Xiao Ya bring a basin of water so the young lady can wash her face and freshen up — she can’t go home looking like this. People will think I’ve been unkind to her!” She motioned to Chen’s wife and said, “Come help me see what powder and rouge the young lady uses, and whether mine will do.”

She drew Chen’s wife away, and partway down said, “Let them have their talk, poor dears. As for Sanlang — I can’t speak to other things, but she has proper conduct, that’s true, and a genuine honest heart. Ah, that high-and-mighty relative of yours — they made a terrible mistake and threw away a phoenix egg. Besides, the two of them were once engaged…”

Chen’s wife gave a rueful laugh: “I feel the same. All the way over, it was so awkward between them. The whole thing was handled so sloppily. Either commit to it or let it go — settle on something clearly and early. The way it’s been dragged on, even if you commit now, the other party knows you held them in contempt. How could they have no feelings about that? And if you don’t commit, dragging someone along the whole journey — what kind of thing is that?”

The two had been exchanging polite pleasantries the whole way over — weather, household matters, food and dress in the capital. Now they found themselves speaking a few honest words and sharing a little of what they truly thought.

Since the Jin household was in the middle of moving and things were a bit inconvenient, the hot water took a little while. They sorted through the available rouge and powder in the meantime.

On the other side of the room, Huajie said to Zhù Ying, “My brother asked me to pass along a word. I didn’t think it right, and didn’t want to relay it. But now that I know you’re… Sanlang, I think telling you shouldn’t cause any trouble.”

Zhù Ying asked, “What did he say?”

Huajie said, “He says: when you’re working under Zheng Xi, keep your wits about you and think carefully. Why study the legal codes instead of the classical histories? The classics and histories are the proper path — work at it three to five years and earn yourself a proper literary degree. Studying the law codes may lead nowhere, and you’ll end up like a scribe or petty official, doing nothing but grinding away at the legal work for his Court of Judicial Review. There’s a difference between forcing a seedling to grow and letting it take root and flourish — can those two things be the same?”

She finished, then let out a long sigh. “That’s all of it. After this, it won’t be easy to meet again.”

Zhang Xiangu said, “Don’t worry about that. If something comes up, we’ll find a way.”

Huajie managed a faint smile: “Let’s hope so. My birth mother has a very strong-willed character, and very strict principles. My elder brother and sister-in-law are not her own children, yet they’re actually a little more lenient than she is. Mother has arranged so many people to watch over me…”

“A’Jie!”

“Hmm?”

“Remember: no household deserves to have you exhaust every last bit of yourself for it, until your heart is burned to ash! Not your husband’s family — and not your mother’s family either!”

“Yes!” Huajie answered, then laughed lightly. “Don’t frown — it’s not such a big thing. The times before were so much harder, and I came through all of them. I’ve met only good people in this life of mine. From the day I was born…” She paused. “Ah…”

Zhù Ying felt something stir in her and asked, “What is it? Has the person still not been found?”

“Those two loyal servants — the husband and wife — have already come back. That Wang Ma is actually the wet nurse who tended to me the moment I was born, and now Mother has assigned her to my side. But her daughter still hasn’t been found. I asked about it — Mother said she took the child along with her, and raised her until she was five or six, when they were forcibly separated. You know how it is — those in low caste have no say over their own bodies, and parents and children can be torn apart at a word. Mother and my maternal uncle have already written to people, asking them to help investigate. Adults who remember where they came from are easier to find. A child who has grown up — their looks have changed, they may not remember much from childhood — that makes it much harder.”

Zhang Xiangu said, “Good heavens — her daughter has no news, and yet your birth mother puts her right there beside you? Isn’t she afraid the old woman might harbor resentment and work some mischief against you?”

“Wang Ma is a good person. She watches over me more closely than even my own mother would — never letting me out of her sight,” Huajie said. “I know. She misses her own daughter, and when she looks at me, it’s as though she’s looking at that other one.”

“Well then — what is the little girl’s name? Once I’m less busy, I’ll help you look for her.”

Huajie’s face lit up: “That would be wonderful. My brother says your talent for tracking people down is exceptional.”

“What’s her name?”

“Chan Juan,” Huajie said. “She didn’t have a name originally — she was the first child born in the household. Mother took her in and gave her that name.”

May all who are dear to us endure — a thousand miles apart, yet sharing the same bright moon. Feng’s Madam might be a deeply disagreeable person, but she had a real gift for names.

Zhù Ying said, “Good — I’ve noted it down. Feng Chan Juan.”

Huajie said, “We don’t know if her surname has been changed. But whatever else — that’s her name, and even if she doesn’t remember my mother, she ought to remember her own name.”

“Understood!”

Chen’s wife and Jin’s wife came back with a basin of water, washed away the tear-stained makeup from Huajie’s face, and redid it for her. Chen’s wife said, “If we don’t leave now, the story back in the meditation room will fall apart.”

Huajie and Zhù Ying said their lingering farewells.

…—

Chen’s wife had been watching the whole time, and once they were in the carriage, she asked: “Mei zi, tell me honestly — are you still in love with him?”

Huajie said, “Sao Sao, what are you thinking? There’s no possibility for us.”

“But…”

Huajie said, “We went through hardship together, after all. Even if we can’t be husband and wife, I don’t want us to become enemies either.”

“I see. He doesn’t still blame you?”

“I’ve met only good people in my life. They were kind — they never blamed me, and they always helped me.”

Chen’s wife looked at the faint smile at the corner of Huajie’s lips and thought: What a tangle of fates — what can be done about this? She also found herself inwardly blaming her husband for interfering in other people’s business, and also annoyed that he had interfered and still managed to make a mess of it.

Then, remembering her husband’s instructions, she asked, “What about what my brother asked you to relay — did you tell them?”

“Yes. They took it all in.”

Chen’s wife sighed. “What a muddle all of this is. Ever since I came here from home to this capital, all I see is splendor on every side, and yet I haven’t felt as easy as I did back home. Back home, I worried constantly, and yet somehow each day felt like it held something to look forward to. Now — I don’t even know what to hope for anymore.”

Huajie didn’t dare offer Chen’s wife any guidance. From what her mother had passed along, the stepmother at the Prime Minister’s household was no gentle soul either — telling Chen’s wife to simply enjoy her life there was clearly out of the question. Suggesting she have a child and raise them well, though the “proper path,” also seemed wrong: when even the parents’ lives were so unsettled, bringing another child into it would only be doing the child a disservice.

So she could only say, “I feel the same way. Back home, I used to think things through — it’s the farming season, time to arrange for the hired hands. What would this year’s harvest be like? How should the household budget its spending.”

The two women exchanged a glance and each felt something like an understanding of the other’s situation.

When they returned to the temple, the two of them slipped quietly back to the meditation room — only to find Wang Ma in an argument with Chen’s wife’s maidservant: “I’m going to see my young mistress — what are you blocking me for? What have you all been up to?”

Huajie said, “Wang Ma.”

Both Wang Ma and the maidservant were startled: “Young Mistress? How did you come from outside?”

Chen’s wife said, “I couldn’t settle down to rest, so I asked mei zi to walk with me outside for a bit. What’s the matter?”

Wang Ma said, “If Madam wanted to go out, you should have called on us to attend you. How could you go out on your own? What if something had happened?”

Chen’s wife laughed. “The whole point was that we didn’t want you following along — with you there, everywhere becomes formal, and there’s no enjoyment in it anymore. Have you all rested?”

“Yes.”

Chen’s wife said, “Good — I’ve heard the vegetarian dishes here are excellent. Let’s eat before we go. Mei zi, we should bring some back for your aunt as well.”

Huajie said, “Sao Sao is right.”

They ate a vegetarian meal and purchased several large boxes of the dishes to take away. Chen’s wife had one box sent to Sheng Ying’s household with the message, “Respects for Grandmother.”

The two women, each returned to their own home.

On the way, Wang Ma could not help saying, “Young Mistress, please don’t think me meddlesome — but a young lady shouldn’t go running around without her attendants. What if something had happened?”

Huajie’s little maidservant was displeased and said, “The way you say it, it sounds like something is bound to happen to the Young Mistress.”

Wang Ma shot the girl a look and said, “What do you know? There’s no harm in being careful!”

Huajie said quietly, “Wang Ma, don’t worry. I’ve also asked my brother to keep an eye out for Chan Juan.”

Wang Ma hadn’t expected that and said quickly, “Why bring that up again? Madam is not pleased when you do. Chan Juan… Chan Juan… that’s just the fate she was born into! She came into the world in that household, and at that particular moment she met with what she met.”

Huajie said, “Wang Ma, if you need to grieve, then say so. In any case — I will do my best to find Chan Juan.”

Wang Ma said quietly, “Madam doesn’t take it to heart, and I don’t want you causing trouble with her over this. As long as you’re safe and well, I ask for nothing more.”

The maidservant took a careless jab: “Your own daughter — and now you don’t care what happens to her?”

Wang Ma did not grow angry. She looked at the maidservant very calmly and asked, “Then what would you have me do? Show me.”

The maidservant was at a loss. She very much disliked this Wang Ma — just as she disliked that other old matron, Li Ma. The household matrons were always disliked by the younger girls. They were forever saying the same tiresome things, forever putting restrictions on the maids and not letting them have any fun. As though young girls enjoying themselves were somehow the worst sort of crime imaginable.

But the matrons managed a good deal of household business and held a small amount of power. They also had an easier time going in and out of the main gate, and when the maids sometimes wanted to secretly buy things from outside, they had to rely on the matrons for help.

So the maids endured the matrons’ management. When a matron was angry, if she said to be quiet, they had to be quiet. But this time, the maidservant wasn’t silenced by the matron’s authority — she was stilled by Wang Ma’s words.

She was right — what could one do? the maidservant thought, somewhat sheepishly.

Huajie said gently on the maidservant’s behalf, “She’s being impulsive, and she was also needling you a bit. She didn’t mean it — she doesn’t understand yet.”

Wang Ma said, “That’s true. She doesn’t understand. But it doesn’t matter — once she’s given in marriage and becomes a matron herself, she’ll understand. This is how it is for servants and attendants. When I was young, I was a maidservant too, and I didn’t like the matrons either. We’re all the same.”

The maidservant was more bewildered than ever.

Huajie shook her head with a sad smile. The buoyancy Zhù Ying had brought her had quietly sunk back to the bottom of her heart.

“Whoa —”

The carriage came to a stop. They were home.

Huajie and Wang Ma both smoothed their expressions at the same moment, grave and composed, and stepped down from the carriage in measured silence. Huajie had the maidservant carry the food boxes, and went together with Wang Ma to see Feng’s Madam.

Feng’s Madam saw her return with the vegetarian dishes, and a faint smile crossed the crisscrossed scar tissue of her face. “Set them down. Are you tired?”

Huajie said, “Not at all, Mother. When the weather warms a little, you really ought to go out more. The hall there is very peaceful, and the vegetarian food is wonderful. I heard from my sister-in-law — we could book it in advance, and the two of us could go together with Sister-in-Law, and then invite Grandmother and Maternal Aunt and the others as well.”

Feng’s Madam said, “I’d like to bring your maternal aunt — but that woman only knows how to look down on me! And your maternal uncle too, always criticizing me…”

She stopped herself. Sheng Ying had always treated his sister well, but lately he had been reproaching her for having Zhù Da and Zhang Xiangu beaten, and for handling the broken engagement so badly.

Huajie smiled. “We’re all family — what difficulty can’t be worked through?”

Feng’s Madam was mollified and said, “I suppose you’re right. Take the vegetarian dishes to the kitchen — I’ll have just these for dinner tonight.”

“Yes.”

Feng’s Madam said, “Go and rest now. This evening, come and read the sutras with me. These old eyes of mine aren’t what they used to be — I keep having trouble focusing when I read.”

“Yes.”

After that outing, Huajie stayed home like Zhù Ying and rarely went out. Each day she accompanied Feng’s Madam in eating vegetarian food and chanting sutras without complaint, and in what spare moments she had, she found books to read or sat with her needlework. She was exactly like most daughters of wealthy families who had returned to their maternal home as widows.

But gradually a hint of a smile appeared on her face. She gained a little weight, her spirits visibly lifted, she spoke a little more, and she often conversed with Chen Meng’s wife — far less anxious than she had been when she first arrived in the capital.

Chen Meng’s wife had little in the way of social connections in the capital. She and her husband were distant relations of the Feng family, and it was as though a pie had fallen from the sky and hit them both on the head. Feng’s Madam had chosen her from among several close relations — because Chen Meng’s wife’s husband had lost both parents, and her own relatives were few and simple in number, making things very convenient. With a little more careful management, cutting off their ties to their old connections, they would be a pair perfectly suited to carry on the bloodline.

Chen Meng’s husband, though not particularly sharp or capable, was not what Feng’s Madam cared about — he wasn’t her own blood anyway, and she didn’t expect much from him. What Feng’s Madam cared about was her own daughter. If there was one measure of cleverness in the world to be allocated, she would have given it to her son-in-law and her grandchildren before she’d place the adopted son first.

With such a mother-in-law, Chen Meng’s wife had a very difficult time of it. Every daughter-in-law had to observe the rules of the household, but this mother-in-law was neither close with herself nor with her husband. Chen Meng’s wife felt as though her feet had been pushed into a pair of shoes two sizes too small, and she wasn’t allowed to take them off even to sleep.

So at first Chen Meng’s wife was rather cold toward Huajie. After discovering that Huajie was nothing like Feng’s Madam, she began to get along with her normally. Now that Huajie had become a little more cheerful and was spending more time with her, Chen Meng’s wife found this sister-in-law of hers to be quite a decent person.

And she felt a little sorry for Huajie: with a mother like this, a smooth life would be very hard to come by.

That thought made Chen Meng’s wife a little kinder to her sister-in-law than before. Feng’s Madam welcomed this development and was therefore a little more lenient toward her daughter-in-law — going so far as to give her a gold bracelet inlaid with gems from her own collection. Feng’s Madam had many pieces of jewelry, but because of her disfigurement she wore very little around her head and face, so most of what she had was bracelets, rings, and necklaces, all carefully chosen for their beauty.

Chen Meng’s wife received the bracelet and went to show it to Huajie, whispering, “Mother told me the weather is warming and the clothing is getting lighter, so jewelry will show more and I should be wearing nicer pieces, and she gave me this. What’s gotten into her? Has something good happened to her?”

Huajie answered absently, “I suppose so. A person can’t be unhappy forever.”

Chen Meng’s wife laughed. “Before, I really thought Mother was… ahem. Shall we go burn incense tomorrow?”

Huajie immediately said, “Yes!”

She was distracted because today was Zhù Ying’s examination day!

She had no idea how it was going. She really ought to go light some incense and pray hard to the Buddha.

…—

While Huajie worried on her side, Zhù Ying on her side entered the examination grounds.

Ordinarily, even having obtained a legitimate civilian household registration, she wouldn’t have had the qualifications to simply sit the examination. If she were trying for the Ming Jing or Jinshi examinations, she would have needed three gentry men to stand as guarantors, needed to list three generations of her paternal ancestry, and would have had to come up through her hometown as a tribute scholar — working upward through each level. The tribute scholar path sounded straightforward — just a recommendation from a local official — but local officials didn’t recommend just anyone. They would pre-screen candidates themselves before anyone was sent to the capital, not wanting to put their own reputation at risk by sending up someone incompetent.

But the Ming Fa examination was less important. Though it too had various requirements, fewer people sat it and fewer people paid it close attention. Zheng Xi had wide-ranging connections and influence, and had managed to secure her a place on the roster. She had a proper household registration, wrote her father’s name, and made up a grandfather’s name as needed — and that was roughly that.

The Ming Fa examination was not as difficult as one might imagine. Relying on her excellent memory, Zhù Ying had committed the codes and ordinances to heart, even studying the official annotations and clarifications alongside them — there was nothing to find difficult in the examination itself.

What truly posed a challenge for Zhù Ying was her calligraphy.

She was clever, undeniably “quick to pick things up” and possessed of near-perfect recall, but the skills she was truly fluent in — sleight of hand, climbing walls, making up stories on the spot, cheating at gambling — were things she used in daily life, her hands always working. So she stayed sharp.

Calligraphy was different. She had only made a serious effort to practice writing in the last few months, and even during those months she had needed to focus on memorizing her study materials, leaving little time for actual brush practice. Her speed was slow and her appearance far from elegant — what could be said was only that the characters were “properly formed.”

Every session of the examination was a struggle for Zhù Ying. Her hands couldn’t keep up with her mind. Fortunately, there was enough time, and she did as most of the examinees did, handing in her paper at the very last moment. The other examinees were either stumped or too nervous to think clearly; she was simply slow to write. She didn’t know any of her fellow examinees and shared no accommodation with them while preparing, so when the examination was over she simply went home — she was a woman who had been careful enough to put on her menstrual band before the examinations, since her cycle had become irregular in the past few months, not reliably monthly.

After the examination she naturally needed to go home and change.

After the final session, Zhù Ying could at last stop being so anxious. She came home to find Zhang Xiangu walking toward her carrying a bowl of noodles: “Here! I made you birthday noodles!”

Zhù Ying said blankly, “What birthday?”

Zhang Xiangu set the bowl down and said, “You’re fourteen today!”

Poor families didn’t bother with birthdays — when there wasn’t enough to eat, what was there to celebrate? Some people couldn’t even remember their own birthday because their parents had forgotten it. Zhù Ying was fortunate — Zhang Xiangu did remember the date, though she always forgot to mark the occasion. It was only when preparing the registration for the examination that Zhang Xiangu suddenly realized: the child’s birthday was the twenty-seventh day of the first month, and she had forgotten all about it!

But since Zhù Ying had been studying for the examination, she hadn’t wanted to disturb her. Now that the examination was over, and the family was no longer as poor as they once had been, it was all right to make a bowl of noodles — two eggs, a big piece of spare ribs, no vegetables! Let her daughter eat her fill!

When Jin’s wife heard that Zhang Xiangu was going to celebrate Zhù Ying’s birthday belatedly, she said, “Why didn’t you say so earlier? We should have celebrated during the first month — but it’s not too late now. I’ll have them go and buy a pig’s trotter right away!”

Jin Liang was at his post that day, so Jin’s wife took charge of the celebration. Even Jin Biao made himself behave. Jin’s wife began with congratulations that Zhù Ying was going to be made an official.

Zhù Da said modestly, “We don’t yet know if it’ll be a dragon or a phoenix.”

Jin’s wife said, “With the seventh young lord involved, it’s certain to happen.”

Zhù Ying asked, “What makes you say that?”

Jin’s wife said, “Your elder brother often says you’ve been studying very well, that you can do it — the seventh young lord himself says you’re ready. As long as the examination goes well, you’re sure to get the post. No one will be able to edge you out!”

Zhang Xiangu asked anxiously, “People can still get edged out?”

Jin’s wife said, “There are all sorts of ways! Some people score well but later get pushed aside when someone with connections has their poor paper moved up instead. Or you pass the examination, but then at the time of appointment you’re told to wait for a vacancy, and meanwhile those who paid the right people or knew the right people — who also passed — get the positions right away. Posts also come in fat and lean…”

As a true native of the capital, Jin’s wife more than lived up to her origins.

Zhang Xiangu anxiously asked more: “Can the seventh young lord protect our third one?”

“He can!” Jin’s wife issued a guarantee on Zheng Xi’s behalf.

Jin’s wife went on at length about the Zheng Marquis’s household: “The seventh young lord’s birth mother is the daughter of the late King of Dai and the elder sister of the current Prince Gaoyangyin. The late King of Dai and the late Emperor were cousins, and the Princess and His Majesty were born in the same year, the same month, and the same day — when it was reported to the palace, everyone said what a remarkable coincidence! So even though they are not true siblings, they are as close as true siblings!”

This was why Zheng Xi, capable as he was, could take charge of the Court of Judicial Review at only twenty-seven or twenty-eight. He had not only his father’s connections, but his mother’s as well — and his uncle’s. His blood uncle was a prince, and while the Emperor was not his blood uncle, through a remarkable twist of fate the connection was nearly as strong.

Zhù Ying thought: No wonder he could arrange a spot in the Ming Fa examination for someone with such a vague background as me!

Zhù Da and Zhang Xiangu both broke into wide, rather goofy grins. Zhang Xiangu said, “Then that’s wonderful — that’s just wonderful!”

Jin’s wife said, “When the results are posted, our man should be back by then — I’ll have him go and look at the board! The Ming Fa examination doesn’t draw the crowds they get for the Ming Jing and Jinshi, but it’s a proper government examination all the same!”

Zhù Ying said, “There’s no need to come back specially — I can go and look myself.”

“You’d never get through the crowd. Let him go — built like a wall, he was made for exactly that!” Jin’s wife was quite capable of deciding this for Jin Liang, because Jin Liang was equally invested. He was counting the days, and requested a leave of absence to come back and check the board for Zhù Ying — once her name appeared, she would certainly receive a post, and would officially be working for Zheng Xi. Jin Liang considered himself a Zheng family man, so naturally he had to come back for this.

The day before, Jin Liang came home. The next morning, he took Zhù Ying to look at the posted results. A sixth-rank official might count for nothing to the people looking at that board — and yet even a posting of Ming Fa results drew a crowd so dense it was like a solid wall.

Jin Liang said, “Stay close to me. We’ll push through to the front. Hah — or climb up on my shoulders for a look!”

Zhù Ying said, “No need to look.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ve already seen it.”

Jin Liang’s joy burst out of him: “What place?”

Zhù Ying said, “With my height, all I could see was the first name on the list.”

Jin Liang was overjoyed. He hoisted her onto his shoulder: “Let’s go! Home!”

“Put me down!” Zhù Ying said.

Jin Liang deliberately refused: “Heh heh!” In his heart he thought: You’ve got yours coming today! The only time I can really tease you is a moment like this. Any other time, I’d be worried you’d get back at me.