This was genuinely not Zhù Ying’s doing.

Caught off guard by this abrupt accusation, her face froze for a moment, and then she asked, “Don’t get excited first — tell me carefully: how did Elder Sister disappear? Could there be a mistake? Did she leave without telling the family?”

Chen Meng looked at her with suspicion. “You really don’t know? Last month I came to find you and you said you needed to think it over. You said nothing more after that, and I figured you weren’t that kind of person — you wouldn’t just abandon Guanqun. So exactly how did you make her vanish?”

Zhang Xiangu, who had also been bewildered until now, crowded in to say, “First Young Master, you really mustn’t say such things! I would love to have Flower Sister make a life with our Third Child, but you saw for yourselves that her family wasn’t being reasonable. Look at these few rooms — voices carry right to the neighbors when we talk in here. You couldn’t hide a person in this place.”

Chen Meng’s gaze moved back and forth between the mother and child. He asked Zhù Ying, “You really didn’t do it?”

Zhù Ying said, “If I had done it, I wouldn’t have let you still be suspecting me.”

Chen Meng thought it over. “Fair enough.”

Zhù Ying said, “First Young Master — we can spare those two sentences. First tell me: what exactly happened? You say she’s run away — what signs and evidence do you have? Have you all looked it over clearly? Is it certain she left on her own, or is there something else going on? Did Elder Sister want to leave because of the marriage — because of what kind of person was being chosen for her? What kind of person? Would it be convenient, without alerting that Madam, to take me to look at the signs? I think my skill at finding people is at least something. Without seeing the signs, I don’t dare entirely believe she left on her own. If there’s some chance she didn’t…”

Chen Meng said, “If you can help, all the better!”

Zhang Xiangu carefully slipped in, “Shouldn’t you sit down and talk?”

Chen Meng nodded. Zhù Ying let him into her own room, and Zhang Xiangu went to make tea. Chen Meng only touched it to his lips and set it down, saying, “I’ll start from the beginning.”

He had come with a heart full of suspicion and anger, convinced that Huajie’s flight had been organized by someone, and his first suspect was naturally Zhù Ying. Now that Zhù Ying’s home showed no sign of anyone hidden there, and Zhù Ying was offering to help find her, he set aside his suspicions for the moment and said, “You already know everything that came before, so I’ll only speak of what happened in the seventh month. Around the Qixi Festival, Guanqun wanted to donate ordination certificates to monks and nuns, and also to donate monastic robes and shoes and socks — the sort of thing women do for pious good works, right?”

“Mm.”

Chen Meng said, “And her family had no ideas of their own. They never stopped to think: would someone like Guanqun go casually putting forward ideas for other people to spend their money on? One ordination certificate for one hundred strings of copper cash — not a huge amount, but not trivial either. Aunt agreed, and her brother and sister-in-law went along. But when they arrived at the nunnery, after the certificates were distributed and they had eaten the vegetarian meal and performed the rites before the Buddha and needed to rest — they were to spend the night there. She first accused a maidservant of breaking something and sent her away, then dispatched Nanny Wang on an errand. She cleared the people around her, and then she simply vanished! Not a sound from the meditation room, not a trace of any struggle, and the people outside the nunnery gate said no young lady had come out. How could she have gotten away without someone to receive her? That’s why I suspected you.

She is Aunt’s only child — Aunt watches over her more closely than her own eyes — surrounded by maidservants and servants at all times. She doesn’t know any other man who could receive her. So I suspected you.

As I see it, it must be because of the marriage. Aunt has someone in mind and, as I see them, none of the candidates are any good. Either they sit idly eating through their inherited reputation and empty titles, or they are newly risen men with impure motives who only want a prestigious facade. If I were Guanqun, I would be furious too.

She took some gold and silver with her as well. All I can do now is hope she left on her own — otherwise… I don’t dare think about it. As I see it, the ordination certificate is the key: she must have arranged to get herself one as well, which would make it easy to blend in — anyone who saw her would think she was just a nun from the nunnery. I’ll have to go back and check the Registry of Taoist and Buddhist Affairs to look at the certificates issued recently.

And as for you — what have you been doing? It’s been over a month. If you had solved the marriage problem first, she wouldn’t have had to run herself! A young woman alone — how dangerous! You must bring her back safely!”

Zhù Ying thought to herself: if it were me, I’d take the opportunity to buy myself an ordination certificate as a monk. How would you ever catch me?

Zhù Ying spread her hands. “I’ll need to make some preparations first.”

She was absolutely not going to fake a marriage with Huajie unless a blade was at her throat. Huajie should not be a decorative fabric curtain hung over a door to block from view everything inside a room that could not be seen. But it was also true that Huajie was genuinely alone and in a dangerous position — she wouldn’t kill anyone, had no ruthlessness in her, and self-protection would be very difficult. Zhù Ying thought: at the very least, she needed to know where Huajie was and whether she was safe.

If Huajie had truly escaped on her own, her heart was genuinely happy for her.

Huajie could not be her door curtain — but she most certainly could not be some other household’s decorative vase either, or worse, their utilitarian chamber pot.

Zhù Ying asked Chen Meng, “Have you begun searching?”

“Like madmen! Afraid of bandits and robbers, afraid of wicked people abducting her, afraid she’s trying to go back to her home village. Even my father has been alerted; he quietly ordered people to follow the official road south, and also told the local authorities there to lie in wait.”

Zhù Ying said, “She couldn’t have gotten that far so quickly.”

“Wait for now, you should…”

Zhù Ying said, “I will naturally look for Elder Sister.”

“What I mean is, you must keep this secret! If word gets out, what would it look like?” Chen Meng said. “I’m thinking of saying, for public purposes, that she went back to her hometown out of longing for her foster mother. If anyone brings it up, you should say the same.”

Zhù Ying said, “Do you even need to say that?”

The foster mother Chen Meng spoke of was presumably Yu Miaomiao. Thinking of Yu Miaomiao, Zhù Ying’s mood darkened immediately. She thought privately: Huajie cannot fall into your hands again.

Chen Meng let out a long breath. He knew he shouldn’t be getting too deeply involved in his maternal relatives’ affairs, yet a missing blood cousin was different from other things. He said, “If Guanqun had been given to you, I wouldn’t be at this much trouble now.” He sighed.

Zhù Ying said, “Don’t say that anymore. Is it convenient to take me to the nunnery to look right now?”

Chen Meng said, “Good — I’ll take you.”

Zhang Xiangu had been listening all this while. She finally said, “Ah — wait! If you find her, what then? Sending her back would practically be sending her to her death, wouldn’t it?”

Chen Meng, out of deference to Zhù Ying, said, “I’ll be watching over things.”

Zhang Xiangu looked at his manner and didn’t dare say more. She told Zhù Ying, “Just go and come back quickly.”

——

Chen Meng had ridden to their door. His trusted manservant was holding the horse at the end of the alley; when he saw the two of them come out, he made a bow. “First Young Master.”

Chen Meng said, “To the nunnery first.”

Zhù Ying had no horse. The manservant said, “If the Young Sir doesn’t mind, I also came on horseback.”

Since Zhù Ying was worried about Huajie, she didn’t decline.

The nunnery was inside the capital. It had reportedly been converted from a residence donated by a devout ancestor of Madam Feng’s, who had believed deeply in Buddhism. Inside the nunnery and behind it lay a spread of flowering trees and green bamboo — peaceful, yet not desolate or overgrown. The nunnery gates were now shut. Chen Meng said, “I already had them close their doors to visitors. Go in and ask whatever you like.”

Zhù Ying went in and looked around. Everything was spotlessly clean. A nun of about forty, accompanied by several younger nuns, stood there; not a trace of joy was on any of their faces. Chen Meng said to them, “Answer whatever she asks.”

Zhù Ying said, “Tell me: how did they arrive, what was said, what was done, and where did they sleep?”

What the nuns said matched what Chen Meng had told her closely — for Chen Meng’s information had, of course, come from questioning these very same people. Zhù Ying listened to them recount each step, finding no gaps in the account. She then asked to see the room where Huajie had rested and the spot along the wall where the ladder had been found.

The room too was very tidy. The senior nun said, “The ladies’ belongings couldn’t be left here — everything was taken away.”

Chen Meng also confirmed, “We went through everything and questioned the servants, who said she brought gold, several tens of taels of silver, and several hundred copper coins. In her room at home she left behind two hundred taels of silver. Only a few sets of the clothes she had on her were missing, and some jewelry as well.”

Zhù Ying took it all in and calculated privately: what was left behind was either too large or too cumbersome; the clothing left behind was conspicuous or restricted movement. Huajie had prepared for this — she had not been dragged away by bandits.

Then, without needing the nuns to guide her, she walked along looking at the ground and occasionally lifting her eyes to take in her surroundings, going straight to the foot of the wall in one stretch. There the earth was slightly damp; near the wall grew a sweet osmanthus tree and a few bamboo stalks, and at the very base of the wall the ground bore some disordered footprints. Zhù Ying asked, “Where is the ladder?”

The senior nun said hastily, “It was removed.”

“Bring it here for me to look at!”

Chen Meng knew she had this ability and urged them promptly. Zhù Ying handled the ladder, then climbed up to look at the top of the wall. She came back down and made a few more circuits of the nunnery, then asked, “Who received the ordination certificates? Bring them for me to see.”

Two nuns came forward — one older, one younger. The older one, with the name Zhizhi, was about thirty, but had never been able to obtain her certificate. The younger one, Zhiyuan, had been sold by her parents to become a nun. Zhù Ying opened the certificates and looked at the dates written on them — both the same day, the ink still quite fresh, both dated the tenth day of the eighth month.

Zhù Ying nodded, looked at Chen Meng, and said, “First Young Master, let’s go.”

Chen Meng said nothing inside the nunnery; once they were outside he asked in a low voice, “Well?”

Zhù Ying said, “Cause for both relief and concern.” She didn’t explain to Chen Meng how she had worked it out, only stated her conclusion: “She left on her own, with some of her possessions. I need to look at the outside of the wall as well.”

Chen Meng said, “I’ll come with you.”

Zhù Ying looked at him. Chen Meng said with a wry smile, “What? Am I not allowed to care about my own cousin?”

Zhù Ying said, “I’m certainly glad that First Young Master is willing to help Elder Sister — it’s only that, being this attentive to his maternal relatives, First Young Master may find…”

Chen Meng said, “If you had been born into a family of scholars and gentlemen, your prospects would surely be better than mine.”

“What?”

“Come on, let’s go have a look.”

They looked outside the wall for a while, with Chen Meng following Zhù Ying’s every step and watching as she walked out to the main street before stopping. He asked, “She came this way? Uncle and I have both had people ask — they said they didn’t see any young lady come out, and didn’t see any nun come out either.”

Zhù Ying said, “If she was going to leave, she naturally couldn’t let herself be seen. And the nuns in the nunnery are too diligent about cleaning — they swept the place thoroughly. It’s probably no use. We’ll just have to cast a wide net quietly. I’ll walk around the city in the coming days — I know her figure. What if I happen to run into her?”

Chen Meng said, “All right.”

Zhù Ying asked, “Wait — is there any sign in her room at the residence? Were there any letters? Would it be possible for me to see?”

Chen Meng said, “I haven’t heard about any letter. You want to go into her room and look? That’s difficult — what family would allow someone to go look at a young lady’s chambers? This way: I’ll go and find out more. If there’s any news I’ll tell you. You keep your attention on it as well.”

The two parted. As Zhù Ying was returning home, Zhang Xiangu grabbed hold of her immediately. “Third Child! What’s going on here? I’m your mother — you have to tell me things! Flower Sister is a fine person! If we can help, we help — I wouldn’t hurt her. Besides, we know her through and through. If she wanted to come to our family, I’d be willing.”

Zhù Ying was torn between laughter and tears. “Mama, where did your mind go? I don’t know Flower Sister’s whereabouts. You heard what First Young Master said — whatever you do, don’t say she’s gone missing.”

Zhang Xiangu said, “That I know. But — did Flower Sister really leave on her own? She wasn’t snatched away by someone?”

Zhù Ying said, “I need to go out and look for her.”

“All right, then go.”

——

Before Zhù Ying could even leave the house, Chen Meng came galloping back on his horse. Zhù Ying was startled. “Was she found?”

Chen Meng said, “What? No. A letter! Look at this — can you make anything of it?” He had only just returned home when the Feng residence sent a message over: Feng Dajie had found a farewell letter from Huajie in the counter-token box.

Zhù Ying took it and looked — it was Huajie’s hand. She read the contents: she had left on her own, acknowledged that she was unfilial, and asked her mother not to grieve over an unfilial person. In this lifetime she had experienced some family warmth, and she felt she owed the family a debt; yet perhaps it was simply her fate to be unbounded by close ties, and in the end she only wished to spend her life free as clouds and wild geese. She also expressed gratitude for the care she had received from her mother, her maternal uncle’s family, and her brother and sister-in-law during this time.

This solidified Zhù Ying’s inner conviction. She said to Chen Meng, “Counting the time elapsed, she can’t have gone very far.”

Chen Meng said, “I know.”

Zhù Ying said, “Then I’ll search within the city.”

Chen Meng said, “You alone — how will you search? The streets have already been swept clean since this morning, with countless horses and carts passing through all day. No matter how skilled you are, it won’t work. Leave it to me. Just one condition: if she comes to you, you must tell me!”

Zhù Ying said, “Even if I didn’t tell you, take a look at this shallow house of mine — it couldn’t hide a person, and I don’t have money to put someone up elsewhere, do I?”

Chen Meng said in a dispirited voice, “What a situation this all is.”

Zhù Ying thought to herself: even if I do find her, I can’t tell you!

The moment Chen Meng left, she threw a few things together and went straight to the Zheng residence.

The people of the Zheng Marquis residence were quite familiar with her by now. The one leading the gate guards that day was the same person who had been invited as a companion guest at Gan Ze’s dinner — someone who had in his youth received the patronage of Gan Ze’s father, and who had since become a minor steward. He smiled at her. “Sanlang, here to see the Seventh Young Master? You’ve come late today.”

Zhù Ying smiled back. “Uncle Lin, that’s not right — what do you mean late? The curfew hasn’t rung yet.”

The two of them exchanged a few nonsensical pleasantries, after which Uncle Lin helped her inside, called ahead at the gate, and let her through to Zheng Xi’s study. Gan Ze heard she had come and came out to meet her first. By now Gan Ze was aware that the young man from the Chen family had not benefited — though how Zhù Ying had managed it, he had puzzled over until his head nearly split and still couldn’t figure out. Whatever the case, he had always remembered Zhù Ying’s kindness.

Gan Ze said, “Sanlang? Even if it were someone else, they’d be lining up to request an audience early in the morning. You come and go as you please — and just as well — Seventh Young Master is in good spirits, and you’re different from the others.”

Zhù Ying entered the study. Zheng Xi indeed appeared to be in a good mood and asked, “You child, coming on a whim again? Have you thought of some new errand to send me on?”

Zhù Ying smiled. “When have I ever sent you on errands? I would never be so oblivious as to send my own superior on errands — I’ve come to seek guidance.”

Zheng Xi was quite happy to instruct her. “On what?”

Zhù Ying first produced a sheet of paper — passages she hadn’t understood while reading — and Zheng Xi explained each one, then said, “I told you to read properly through the examination system, taking the classical studies path to office. And you refused! If you had read properly, you would have teachers for all this.”

“Not necessarily better ones than you — back in my hometown I heard teachers too, and they still explained things half right and half wrong.”

Zheng Xi laughed and scolded her, “You use me as a village schoolteacher! Can village fox-spirit teachers compare to the great scholars of the capital? Now, do you understand everything I said just now?”

Zhù Ying said, “Yes.”

“Then why aren’t you going home to keep reading?”

Zhù Ying said, “There’s also another matter.”

Zheng Xi said to Lu Chao, “You see? She did come to send me on an errand.”

Gan Ze and Lu Chao both laughed.

Zhù Ying said, “Tomorrow you’ll have court again, so while you’re in court I can take care of this matter — I just need to report it to you first. In our review of old cases, there’s one at hand that requires going to the Registry of Taoist and Buddhist Affairs to copy some records, to verify whether the monks and Taoist priests involved in the case actually exist.”

She pulled a sheaf of paper from her sleeve. “It concerns this case — I didn’t dare bring the case file out, so I made a copy of this case to bring back. Please review it.”

Zheng Xi thought it over and said, “Very well — I’ll write you a note, and you can go.”

Zhù Ying accepted the note, thanked Zheng Xi, said her farewell, and left the Zheng residence. Once outside, seeing that curfew was still some time away, she didn’t go home. Instead she went back to the area around the nunnery and searched carefully bit by bit, from the main street outward. Chen Meng had said that with countless horses, carts, and pedestrians passing through all day, Huajie’s tracks would be destroyed — and that was true.

Zhù Ying had said the nunnery nuns were too fond of cleaning and had swept everything thoroughly — that was also true.

But it didn’t mean Zhù Ying would find nothing.

No young lady had come out — so perhaps what had come out was a monastic figure, correct? A person can change their shoes and change their clothing, but body weight is not easily changed. Since Huajie had left of her own accord and was carrying her gold, silver, and valuables, her weight was heavier than usual, and the way she carried herself and the impression her footprints left would change accordingly.

First, inside the wall, Zhù Ying had seen Huajie’s footprints before and after the change. Then she came outside to follow the changed footprints, and could see that Huajie had changed her shoes. Based on her experience from observing passersby, she judged it to be small feet in a large pair of shoes — a man’s shoes. Then, following the impression left by the new shoes, she went slowly, painstakingly, tracing the tracks step by step.

Following the footprints, she could even guess at something of Huajie’s frame of mind at the time. Huajie hadn’t walked in the middle of the road, nor had she hugged the wall — she had walked on the road slightly to one side, dodging the passersby and carts on the street, so her footprints hadn’t been entirely obliterated. She must have been carrying a bundle or a satchel, or had it concealed beneath her man’s clothing, which made her stride slightly different from usual and made the footprints a little easier to trace.

At first she had been very anxious — her step-length irregular, now wide, now narrow. After a while it became even. She walked very normally, very naturally, in a manner unbounded by anyone. She stopped from time to time; her steps grew smaller for a moment, then returned to normal.

Zhù Ying knew Huajie. Working it out from there: Huajie was probably not in a hurry to leave the city, because going outside without anyone to receive her and nowhere to shelter would be dangerous. Leaving home was meant to give herself a better life — not to deliver herself as prey to bandits and thieves. Safety was essential. So what to do?

Find a place to shelter first.

Many inns checked travel documents and papers, but if you were simply renting a room for a couple of days, or if you went to a small and not very stringent inn where money was all that was needed — that would work well. Hiding for a few days, and given that the Feng residence couldn’t put out a public search for her anyway, once that immediate danger had passed she could then make careful plans in good time.

Right now what worried Zhù Ying most was that Huajie had bought an ordination certificate in the name of a nun — once she reported that religious name to the authorities and Chen Meng checked it at the Registry of Taoist and Buddhist Affairs, she could be caught.

She had to find Huajie before they did.

Before the curfew rang, she did indeed find a small inn. Its frontage was narrow; the inside wasn’t particularly well lit either. The proprietor bustled up warmly, “Young sir — are you staying, or looking for someone?”

Zhù Ying smiled. “Why didn’t you ask if I was staying or eating?”

The proprietor also smiled. “I’ve been in this trade a long time. Someone like yourself wouldn’t be staying or eating here. From the look of you, you were born in the capital. Whose young master might you be?”

Zhù Ying said, “I’m neither staying nor looking for anyone. I’m just having a look around. People say I haven’t seen the world — and I refuse to believe it!”

The proprietor said, “Don’t tease me, young sir. Since Lord Wang of the Capital Prefecture took office, the streets of the capital have been quite orderly. Even if you were checking for thieves, we have no thieves here — I’ll say so plainly.”

He said it so absolutely that Zhù Ying began to examine herself. “Why do you say that? I’m not any kind of constable or bailiff.”

The proprietor said, “At your age, with that manner… you look like a young official who came up early in life! What would such a young sir come to a dingy place like ours for?”

Zhù Ying smiled. “You guessed half of it. If you take me for an official checking on things, then speak plainly: what are the rates at a place like yours? What kind of people come here? How many such inns are there in the capital? Where do you take in your vegetables? How many staff do you have? How many guests can you take? What’s business like in the slow season and the busy season?”

The proprietor said, “You’re really asking? Don’t tease me. You see the boards on the wall there — the prices are all written there.” A row of wooden boards hung on the wall, with the prices of several dishes written on them — somewhat cheaper than the inn where Zhù Ying had once stayed, and with fewer items. The inn was run by the proprietor and his wife plus one waiter; as the dinner hour approached, the waiter was in the back helping the proprietor’s wife cook. The inn had only a dozen or so rooms, each quite narrow.

The proprietor was already a little irritated, but was afraid this was some young rogue coming to make sport of him and not someone he could afford to offend. As they were talking, a head poked out from the doorway. Zhù Ying took one look and laughed, and waved the person over. “Come here — I have a question for you.”

She recognized this child — the pickpocket who had tried to fish through her purse when she first arrived in the capital and had received a lesson from her for it. The pickpocket had already forgotten her, and came out smiling, “This sir called for me? What do you need? Just say the word.” He walked closer and closer; the proprietor shouted, “You little beggar, get out of here!”

Zhù Ying said, “Don’t chase him away — he and I are old acquaintances; I want to ask him something.”

The pickpocket also gave a start. “What does the sir want to ask me?”

“Do you know Old Ma?”

The pickpocket’s expression changed. “You’re…?”

Zhù Ying said, “Tell him that three days from now, in the second half of the afternoon, he should come to the outside of the Capital Prefecture jail and meet me there.”

The pickpocket hiccupped in fright and fled.

The proprietor’s expression kept shifting. Zhù Ying stood up and said loudly, “My business here is done — I should be on my way.”

The proprietor sputtered, “You — you?”

Zhù Ying smiled, glanced at the curtain hanging by the counter that led to the inner courtyard of the lodging quarters, and noticed it stir. Sure enough she saw Huajie’s face peering out halfway.

Zhù Ying pointed at Huajie. “I see this ‘big brother’ over here doesn’t look like the kind of person who’d be staying in a place like this — why did you let him stay?”

Huajie deliberately roughened her voice and said, “Why can’t I stay here?”

The proprietor started to intervene, but Zhù Ying’s mind flashed to the image of Zhou You, and she sat down broadly at a table, waving her hand back and forth as if cracking an invisible riding crop against the tabletop. Huajie made a gesture with her eyes at the proprietor, signaling that she would handle it. The proprietor retreated behind his counter worriedly!

Huajie choked — her eyes went wide — she had never expected the proprietor to actually retreat!

Zhù Ying burst out laughing! She asked, “Hey! Where are you from? What have you come to the capital for? Trade? Study? Visiting relatives? Hmm? Heard anything about any cases on the road?”

Huajie sat down across from her, only smiling — saying nothing. The proprietor at Huajie’s back couldn’t see Huajie’s face and was in a frantic state.

Zhù Ying’s expression didn’t change, and she kept pressing. Huajie finally said, “With all those questions, which one would you like me to answer first?”

Zhù Ying tipped her face back, thought for a moment, and said, “Start with — what’s your name?”

The proprietor thought: hah! You didn’t ask that before!

Zhù Ying turned her gaze on him. “Proprietor — brew a pot of good tea! And some pastries! Quickly!”

The proprietor had no choice but to go take care of it himself.

Huajie watched the proprietor leave, and the words burst from her: “Little Zhù!”

Zhù Ying said, “You’re doing very well — but you’re carrying money and valuables, which could be dangerous.”

Huajie said, “There isn’t much gold and silver. I know the principle of not flaunting one’s wealth. I have no wish to go back, and you needn’t worry about me. I’m thinking that as long as I’ve gotten out, I can find some way to support myself no matter what. There’s no reason for you to keep exerting yourself on my behalf — I’m not a three-year-old child, and I don’t want people to treat me as though I can’t do anything. Help in a crisis, not in daily need.”

Zhù Ying said, “Fine. You know where I am. If you’re ever in urgent need, come find me.”

Huajie was mildly astonished and then smiled. “All right.”

“I’m not the one who has to take you back. I just wanted to know you were safe. You’re fully entitled to make your own choices about how you live — if I were to arrange and manipulate things for you, that would be the real disrespect. But — ordination certificates can be traced back to their origins, did you know that? First Young Master goes to the Registry of Taoist and Buddhist Affairs to check, and he can find the religious name, the date, who signed it — then he issues an order, and his rank is higher than any official at the Registry. He doesn’t even need his father — he can handle that office on his own.”

Huajie pressed her lips together. “I bought two — otherwise it wouldn’t have been plausible to spend so much money. The nun’s certificate — the name Zhiping — I bought it but won’t be using it. Let them go chasing after that. I bought a monk’s certificate as well, with the name Wukong. From now on I’ll be a monk — you be the official and I’ll be the monk. How’s that?”

Zhù Ying asked, “Are you planning to leave the capital?”

Huajie shook her head. “I’d like to, but I also want to go back and burn incense and paper money for my mother. That road is not one I can travel now. I’m not like you — I need to take things slowly. The capital is good; with Lord Wang overseeing it, the streets are safe. Little Zhù, don’t come looking for me in the next little while — I’m afraid they’ll follow you to me. Just say you don’t know where I am. Everyone has their own fate, everyone has their own road to walk.”

Zhù Ying first said loudly, “Hey! I’m asking you questions! Keep answering!”

Then, lowering her voice, she said, “That’s an odd thing to say. Even if everyone has their own road to walk, that doesn’t mean they can’t keep each other company for this stretch. We’re fellow travelers, aren’t we? Am I supposed to pretend I don’t know you? What a strange way to deceive yourself. You’re in the capital — you’ll move about, you’ll meet people. You know as well as I do: more friends means more roads. I’ve gone through so much these past two years, and you’re one of the precious few people I’ve gotten to know. If I just cast that aside and pretended to be a stranger — would that make any of those days worth anything?”

This made Huajie laugh, and she said, “All right — I’ll have one more friend and one more road. If I’m ever in need, I’ll come to you. If you’re ever in need and I can be of use, come to me too. All right?”

“Good! So — you’re staying here?”

Huajie said, “Over this past month I’ve been paying much closer attention to temples and nunneries and Taoist monasteries. I’ve already found a place I like. In a couple of days, I’ll shave my own head, change into monastic robes, and when the proprietor isn’t watching, I’ll go there.”

“What is the name of the place?”

“Golden Snail Temple.”

“Excellent! First Young Master — I’ll cover for you.” Golden Snail Temple was a rather small place; even for someone as fond of scouting locations as Zhù Ying, all she knew was that it was quiet and that senior officials never went there — the temple was barely keeping itself going.

Zhù Ying said, “Let’s agree on a signal, to make it easy to pass messages — in case word somehow leaks and someone uses it to lure you out.” Since both of them could read, they agreed on a coding system using phonetic notation. They also agreed on a mark for letters: three tiny pin-prick dots on the paper.

Having exchanged all the necessary information, Zhù Ying rose and said, “Boring!” — and left.

The proprietor came back carrying tea and pastries, looked around, and asked, “That person…”

Huajie said helplessly, “Left.”

The proprietor said, “Those pampered young lords — putting on airs for a moment, then showing their true colors. Still wet behind the ears, and already playing such deep games!”

Huajie thought to herself: she’s nothing like a pampered young lord — she can play any role she likes and make it stick!

——

Zhù Ying was in very high spirits that day. She came home and told Zhang Xiangu, “Don’t worry — nothing bad will happen.”

The next morning, she went to the Court of Judicial Review first and pulled out the case file, tucked it in her sleeve, and headed to the Registry of Taoist and Buddhist Affairs. When she finished checking the records she had come for, she casually asked to see the recent ordination certificate register. Sure enough, she found Zhiping — and then, flipping two pages further, she found a monk named Wukong. Anyone else would never imagine these two belonged to the same person.

She deliberately pressed her fingernails into the entries for the religious names Zhiping, Zhiyuan, and Zhizhi, leaving faint impressions, and returned the register to the Registry with a perfectly casual air.

The next day, she again asked the Registry for the names and locations of all the temples, nunneries, and Taoist monasteries throughout the realm. The Registry replied that with so many religious establishments throughout the empire and monks, nuns, and Taoist clergy numbering in the tens of thousands, they could not give her all of that; if she needed to look, she would have to bring the relevant case files. Zhù Ying then spent half an hour each day going to look, and every afternoon when she left the palace gates she would first wander around the capital’s nunneries, visiting a different one each day, as if searching for someone.