Zhù Ying had to pass through the palace gate on her way back to the Court of Judicial Review. Gan Ze had no entry pass and so could not carry the things in for her.
Lu Chao said: “I say — don’t carry it yourself. Leave the things here with us to watch. Go into the Court of Judicial Review and find someone with pass access. When Lord Seventh’s baggage is brought in later, your things can go in with it. Honestly, that big bundle of yours looks like it might even be more than Lord Seventh’s luggage.”
Zhù Ying said: “It might be a few more nights before I can come out again — I had to bring more. You two watch the baggage; I’ll go inside and find someone.”
Just as she said this, a resonant voice called out: “Little Zhù?”
All three looked over — it was Officer Bao, the very one who had accompanied Zhù Ying to General Ren’s household. Zhù Ying cupped her hands toward him: “Shouldn’t you be off duty at home right now?”
Officer Bao grinned: “Can’t sit still. I already slept all day — couldn’t help coming out again in the evening.” Then he drew close and said in a low voice: “It would look odd if I claimed the benefit without taking another night shift — the others would know. This way I make it up to them by covering daytime shifts for them. And you’re here because……”
Zhù Ying said: “You know how it is, Officer — there’s a good deal more work ahead for the Court of Judicial Review. I’m afraid we’ll be living there for a few days.”
Officer Bao said: “You can’t carry all that by yourself.” He pointed to a few of his subordinate soldiers: “Come here, help Lord Zhù carry things to the Court of Judicial Review.”
Zhù Ying said: “Isn’t that not quite right? Shouldn’t you be on guard duty?”
Officer Bao said: “Am I not assigning them on a patrol route?”
No one searched the bundles piece by piece either — they only pulled back a corner of the bundle wrapping, saw it was bedding, and let them through. A soldier hoisted the large bundle, and a squad marched inside. Zhù Ying had no choice but to follow and said: “Thank you — much appreciated.”
She gave Officer Bao a bow, and went inside too.
Gan Ze and Lu Chao looked at each other, both thinking: since when did he get on such good terms with the Imperial Guards?
With the help of the Imperial Guards, Zhù Ying got her baggage moved to the Court of Judicial Review and, once inside the court, had the court’s own people help her carry the things to the duty room. Zhù Ying thanked the soldiers, one of whom said with a grin: “Lord Zhù is too polite. If you need anything in the future, just say the word.”
Zhù Ying said: “I wouldn’t dare impose. Things are busy right now — let’s talk when it’s quieter.” She recognized the soldier slightly, who seemed to be someone who had been at Officer Bao’s side the previous night.
Once the soldiers had left, Zhù Ying quickly sorted through the big bundle. She didn’t spread out the bedding yet — just refolded everything and packed it into her wardrobe. The wardrobe was stuffed so full that she had to lock the door to keep the quilt and clothes from spilling out. With that done, she went to find Zheng Xi.
Zheng Xi said: “All settled?”
Zhù Ying said: “Yes. I also said what needed to be said at home, which I was worried about. The second elder brother at the gate said the residence has already sent word — bedding and personal effects are being sent for Lord Zheng. Should I go out to get them, or should I still be the one to go?”
Zheng Xi said: “You? Have them fetch it — that’s not the sort of thing you should be doing.” He instructed a clerk to go and handle it, then handed Zhù Ying a case file: “I can see you have a head for things. These few people — they’re yours to handle.”
“Ah?”
Zheng Xi said: “Everyone at the Court of Judicial Review has an assignment now. By tomorrow morning, there must be some account to give His Majesty — we interrogate through the night! Within three days, I want full confessions from everyone. Go — you’ll be on the same shift as Senior Assessor Wang.”
“Yes, sir.”
……
The Court of Judicial Review had accumulated a fair amount of experience with interrogations. When someone like Hu Lian finished an interrogation, it needed a countersignature from someone of the same rank; for more significant cases, sometimes two or three people had to preside jointly. The situation was now quite urgent, but Zheng Xi remained unruffled. He put Zhù Ying and Senior Assessor Wang together, with two clerks to take the record, plus a few auxiliary staff.
This arrangement made time very tight.
Senior Assessor Wang was older; Zhù Ying was young. One had the energy, the other the experience. Moreover, by Zheng Xi’s observation, Senior Assessor Wang had no competitive streak, nor did he resent younger people and feel compelled to pull them down. This pairing worked well.
Zhù Ying tucked the case file under her arm and went to find Senior Assessor Wang. Senior Assessor Wang said: “Good — I understand. You go and grab two of the quick-moving clerks before the others: ‘Don’t let Centipede grab them first! If he’s a centipede, you need to be a crab! Hurry!'”
Zhù Ying was more agile than Su Kuang. Following Senior Assessor Wang’s instruction, she pointed at those two: “You two — come with me!” The clerks took up their brushes, paper, and other materials and trotted after her.
That night, the Court of Judicial Review had interrogation sessions in progress at every turn. The large bundle Zhù Ying had brought back went unused. Veteran Senior Assessor Wang seemed to shed his usual worn-out, going-through-the-motions manner and, while he couldn’t be said to have imparted everything he knew to Zhù Ying, he certainly held nothing back: “Night is best! Keep them up until their minds go foggy, then bark a sharp question — and some of them will start to talk. Failing that, use the relay method: take turns interrogating, keep cycling through. That also moves things quite quickly. The trouble with some of them is that they’re veteran officials who’ve presided over countless interrogations themselves — they’re not easy to break by fatigue. You keep them awake, and they end up keeping you awake — you’re alert, and they’ve gone to sleep……”
He went on at length about all the things Zhù Ying had not known before. Night interrogations were genuinely rare at the Court of Judicial Review, and Zhù Ying had previously had no part in any of the regular questioning sessions. This was her first time witnessing a night interrogation at the court, and a scene of such large-scale night interrogations was rarer still.
Senior Assessor Wang said: “The hardest bones to crack are the three lords themselves. None of them are easy. The ones we got are actually the better lot. Let me see — not bad. General Ren’s grandson. Ha! Wastrel sons like these — the ones with any ability get promoted and elevated, while the useless ones end up sitting on their protected positions.”
Zhù Ying said: “Old Wang, you know more than I do. The case file may be in my hands, but I’ll defer to you. When we report back to Lord Zheng, you’re the one who speaks.”
Senior Assessor Wang felt a pleasant warmth inside, yet was also a bit reluctant to pass up a chance to show face. He also had another calculation: “That won’t do, that won’t do — Little Zhù, you have a bright future ahead. Cases of this kind don’t come along often. You should seize the opportunity. I’ll be retiring soon enough. When that time comes, all you need to do is put in a few good words for me with Lord Zheng — get me a decent evaluation, a somewhat more generous pension for my retirement — that’s all I ask.”
Zhù Ying said: “What good are someone else’s words compared to your own promotion by one rank?”
The two went back and forth for a while. Senior Assessor Wang said: “No need to be polite — we all know what you’re like.”
Zhù Ying said: “Then I’ll be frank too. This case is big. So there’s no need for me to aggressively scramble for each and every interrogation session. There will be plenty more opportunities ahead. These past few days we’ve been out doing work others saw, while you’ve been inside reviewing old cases — we’re all colleagues; benefits should be shared around.”
Senior Assessor Wang made the call: “Interrogate first!”
Despite their back-and-forth yielding to each other, neither held back at all once the interrogation got underway. Zhù Ying had Senior Assessor Wang sit in the centre while she sat slightly to one side. Senior Assessor Wang then deferred to Zhù Ying to begin the questioning.
Here too, Zhù Ying started by asking names and confirming identities, then let Senior Assessor Wang take the lead.
The young man of the Ren family below, watching these two junior officials playing at gracious formalities before him, was furious: “You two dog officials — putting on your refined airs in front of me.”
Senior Assessor Wang said slowly to Zhù Ying: “Do you see, Little Zhù? This is what a wastrel son looks like. His grandfather came up through the military ranks — through how much hardship and how many near-brushes with death before he earned his standing — yet his descendants haven’t an ounce of appreciation for that, only knowing how to squander it.”
“You filthy creature! Who are you talking about?!”
Senior Assessor Wang appeared to be speaking to Zhù Ying, yet every sentence stabbed at this wastrel’s heart: “Forgetting one’s roots, living only for pleasure, without any knowledge of the household’s affairs — by his rank, he is not entitled to face interrogation here at our Court of Judicial Review. And yet here we are — for the sake of his grandfather’s face, we have come to question him nonetheless……”
He kept goading the young man until his eyes blazed with fury and he tried to leap up, only to be pressed back down by the attendants.
Then Senior Assessor Wang finally began the interrogation: “Do you claim to know nothing of your grandfather’s plotting with Gong Jie?”
The young man from the Ren family was taken aback: “What?”
Senior Assessor Wang spent time slowly working through this wastrel, even having someone bring water: “If the young master is thirsty, let him drink. If he is hungry, let him wash his face.” He wanted it all to be clean and presentable.
This old fellow had settled in for a long siege against the wastrel. He was elderly, though prone to dozing; he was also at an age of needing little sleep. Zhù Ying still had good stamina. The young man from the Ren family, a soft wastrel through and through, simply could not hold out past midnight. He could stay up all night through debauchery and pleasure-seeking — but when being interrogated, he couldn’t endure even until midnight, and he crumbled: “I know nothing!”
Senior Assessor Wang was not going to let him off. At his age, having been called a dog by a rebellious young man — that was simply not acceptable. He also explained to Zhù Ying that at the Court of Judicial Review, physical punishment was generally avoided, except in certain categories of cases. Treason cases were one such exception — they received no protection from rules against punishing those of gentry rank. He also told Zhù Ying: “Of course, we must conduct ourselves with propriety. Make him feel pain without leaving much of an injury……”
Zhù Ying already knew something of this — time spent at Constable Zhang’s hadn’t been wasted, and Coroner Yang had also touched on certain matters. But she still listened with genuine attention. To be a good fortune-teller, one had to be skilled at “listening.” A great deal of what people needed came out of their own mouths.
Senior Assessor Wang started with twenty light blows of the paddle, and then told the attendants: “Strip him first, then beat him.”
After the beating, he wasn’t allowed to dress again either, and the interrogation continued. The young man from the Ren family was humiliated and shamed — his face went red and then white — but Senior Assessor Wang stroked his beard and said: “Little Zhù — this is a minor affair.” And then more questioning. Unfortunately, the Ren family young man was truly useless — he had never been involved at all. In the end, unable to withstand the punishment, he began making accusations: “I haven’t seen my younger brother for many days! He said he’d gone back to the ancestral home!”
Senior Assessor Wang smiled: “Very good.”
Zhù Ying followed Senior Assessor Wang through the interrogation and picked up a few more things along the way. But the mention of that younger brother of the Ren family stirred something in her gut: wasn’t this exactly like what had happened to Huajie back then?
This matter also could not be concealed.
Before dawn, the results of the interrogation had to be reported to Zheng Xi. Zheng Xi said: “As expected.” And ordered the interrogation to continue.
Meanwhile, Zheng Xi took the night’s findings and attended morning court. Back at the court, the relentless work continued. The big bundle Zhù Ying had brought back had sat there all night without being unrolled, let alone used for sleeping.
It was only when Zheng Xi returned from morning court — visibly in better spirits — that those waiting at the court finally received their new arrangement: rotating shifts. The Court of Judicial Review personnel were divided into three groups. Two groups would continue interrogating while the third rested.
“No one goes home for the next few days.”
Zhù Ying and Senior Assessor Wang handled two full rounds of interrogations before Senior Assessor Wang was the first to give out: “I’m old. Little Zhù — I leave the rest in your hands. I’ll sit here and watch.”
Zheng Xi had said “three days,” and so all of them truly lived inside the Court of Judicial Review for three days — the officials worked harder and slept less than the prisoners. By the third day, regardless of how much had been extracted, everything had been compiled into a thick, towering stack of case files and handed over to Zheng Xi.
Zheng Xi said: “Excellent. Once the case is concluded, everyone will be rewarded. None of you are to go home yet — no one may leave the Court of Judicial Review without my order.” Everyone was so exhausted their upper eyelids were sticking to their lower ones, thinking only of falling over and sleeping right there and then. They answered with a murmur and retreated to their duty rooms.
Zhù Ying also wanted to go sleep. No matter how much energy she had, she couldn’t keep going after staying up night after night.
Zheng Xi had been at it even harder than she had, yet remained in seemingly good spirits. He called two junior clerks over first: “Go and make some discreet enquiries — has there been any movement at the Court of the Imperial Clan, the Court of State Ceremonial, or the Ministry of Rites?”
The clerks didn’t understand what they were looking for, but went and enquired all the same. They returned reporting: “Nothing significant.”
Zheng Xi’s heart sank: “Have Zhù Ying called in.”
……
Zhù Ying had just spread her bedding flat when she was summoned. She covered her mouth to stifle a yawn, rubbed her face, and came before Zheng Xi: “My lord — you called for me?”
Zheng Xi said: “Go to the gate and find Lu Chao. Have him go home and ask — what is going on at the Prince’s household, and why is there still no movement?”
“Ah?” Zhù Ying had no knowledge of the drama Zheng Xi and his uncles had enacted — the scene of presenting oneself to confess and of sacrificing one’s kin for righteousness. Given her understanding of official circles, the court, and the imperial household, she also could not grasp the meaning hidden in Zheng Xi’s words.
But that would change before long.
Unable to make heads or tails of it, she went out anyway, knowing that the Prince of Gaoyangcommandery’s household had some connection to the Gong Jie conspiracy case and needed to be handled with discretion. She encountered Lu Chao, deliberately picked up an empty box from the carriage to make it look like she was on an errand for people to see, and then asked Lu Chao to go back to the residence. She herself carried the empty box back.
Along the way, a soldier from the Imperial Guards offered to help — she declined: “No need.”
Returning to the Court of Judicial Review, she found Zheng Xi sitting in his chair with a shadowed expression, neither dozing nor reading confessions — she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. She quietly set the box to one side: “I’ve spoken to Lu Chao.”
“What is this?”
“An empty box. From your carriage.”
Zheng Xi took a moment before saying: “Skulking about.”
Zhù Ying couldn’t tell from his manner whether he was actually displeased with her or simply in a dark mood, so she said: “Well then…… I’ll head back.”
“Go on.”
Zhù Ying had barely taken two steps when Zheng Xi said again: “Come back. Sit a while.”
Zhù Ying stared at the chair he was gesturing her to and had absolutely no idea what was going through his head. She thought to herself: could something have happened to his maternal uncle? That doesn’t quite seem likely.
She was dead tired, yet sat there forcing herself to remain alert, and in no time at all had drifted off sideways against the chair. Zheng Xi continued to sit, not moving, not speaking.
As if she had only closed her eyes for a moment, Zhù Ying suddenly startled awake. She stood up and found that her neck had gone stiff from the way she’d been sleeping, and one arm had been folded awkwardly under the chair and was completely numb. She stretched it out a little, then stamped her feet, and let out a sneeze. She silently cursed Zheng Xi for being inhumane — leaving her here to be frozen, on a night as cold as this, without letting her sleep.
She rose and pulled open the door — and saw a figure in a green-robed official’s uniform approaching. Green robes for the sixth or seventh rank; the build was like no one from the Court of Judicial Review. As he drew closer, she didn’t quite recognize him, but after a moment’s thought it came to her: this person was from the Court of the Imperial Clan.
It was a registrar from the Court of the Imperial Clan, who saw Zhù Ying and cupped his hands: “Is Lord Zheng the Grand Judicial Reviewer in?”
Zhù Ying said: “He is.”
Zheng Xi had also come to his senses: “Who is it?”
“Your subordinate is the registrar of the Court of the Imperial Clan, sent by the Court’s director to convey a matter to the Grand Judicial Reviewer.”
“Please come in.”
Zhù Ying let the man in and went to have a clerk serve tea. The registrar said: “I would not presume. I’ll say my piece and go. The director says the Court of Judicial Review is occupied, and does not wish to cause too much interruption. However, he has thought it over and over, and feels this matter should be made known to the Grand Judicial Review at the earliest opportunity.”
Zheng Xi said: “What matter?”
The registrar said: “The Prince of Gaoyangcommandery’s household has sent word. The eldest son of the Prince of Gaoyangcommandery has passed away.”
Both of Zhù Ying’s ears let out a hum — and then returned to normal just as quickly. She looked at Zheng Xi. Zheng Xi’s hands gripped the table’s edge; his fingertips went white with the force of it. In a voice that caught: “Understood.”
The registrar offered a brief “my condolences” and didn’t dare linger. He cupped his hands and left. Zhù Ying followed behind to see him out to the covered corridor. The registrar said: “No need to see me further — you’re all busy. Ah…… the Grand Judicial Reviewer is just about to achieve a great merit, and yet……”
Zhù Ying said in a low voice: “The road to the underworld knows no young or old.”
The registrar said: “Indeed.”
The two had no particular connection, and the registrar could see there was nothing to be extracted from her by conversation. He cupped his hands and left.
Zhù Ying stood thinking for a moment, then did not return to Zheng Xi’s room. She tiptoed back to her own room and collapsed onto her bed, falling asleep almost instantly. When noon came, she was roused by someone and went with the others to eat. After the meal, the Court of Judicial Review was busy again, everyone going back to their interrogations. Only Zhù Ying felt persistently distracted. Before dinner, when it was time to report to Zheng Xi again, Zheng Xi was not there.
Pei Qing said: “Lord Zheng has some matters at home — he will return tomorrow. Tonight, everyone rest. Tomorrow, make sure to be in fine form!”
A short while later, Pei Qing and Leng Yun both left as well. Everyone at the Court of Judicial Review started speculating about what had happened. Su Kuang was the quickest to guess, and asked Zhù Ying: “Little Zhù — you’re always close to Lord Zheng. Do you know what’s happened?”
Zhù Ying thought to herself: he’s gone to help manage funeral arrangements, I’d wager.
But what she said aloud was: “I’m always in the middle of work — what would I know of the lords’ affairs?”
The two exchanged several more words, and neither got any closer to an answer. The Court of Judicial Review was also not letting them leave, and a few people grumbled: they were being kept here as if they were prisoners themselves.
After a while of talking, everyone was worn out. They all went back to rest.
The next day, Zheng Xi returned looking somewhat haggard. He pushed everyone to work through the case with renewed intensity, drafted official dispatches, and also issued orders to capture General Ren’s grandson who had been sent away. At the same time he ordered the accounts office to work through the secret ledger, and following the name list on it, had each person brought in for questioning one by one. It was only now that people at the Court of Judicial Review began to realize that something had happened in the Prince of Gaoyangcommandery’s household as well. In an instant, no one dared complain any longer, and everyone applied themselves diligently to making arrests, administering the paddle, applying punishments, and working through the night.
Zheng Xi, however, appeared entirely calm — moving and acting exactly as before, with nothing visibly different. Until the time when General Ren’s grandson was brought back — and it was yet another case of one person substituted for another. Zheng Xi didn’t even need someone else to identify the impostor; he had seen the real person himself. He exposed the deception without hesitation, and said with cold authority: “Enter it in the record! Go and bring the real person here!”
Several more days passed like this. The weather grew even colder. The suspects’ confessions had been extracted in full, and the sworn oath case could be considered temporarily concluded. The most difficult of the lot was Gong Jie himself, yet even he had confessed. The sworn oath had been found, and not one suspect had escaped. What could remain difficult after that? Even the finer details from before in the Gong case were now easy to verify. The dragon’s head had been cut.
It was then that Zheng Xi finally released everyone to go home. What remained was beyond the power of officials at their level to determine. The Three Judicial Offices, along with the Chief Ministers and others, now had to convene to deliberate on the punishment for the conspirators, and then present their conclusions to the Emperor. Each party had its own view, and there was bound to be considerable wrangling among them.
As Zhù Ying had once said, the hard part of any case was never solving it — it was always how to judge it. Even in a treason case, the ringleader’s fate was certain; the degrees of guilt for the accomplices could be large or small, the punishments light or heavy. And then there were some who had rendered service to the state — what should be done about them? There was argument over all of this.
None of this was anything Zhù Ying could attend to or learn about. All she wanted right now was to haul her large bundle of dirty clothes home, take a proper bath, and get a proper sleep.
But as luck would have it, the moment she arrived home, there was a knock at the door. Zhù Da went to answer it: “Master Chen?”
……
When the Zhù household spoke of “Master Chen,” the reference by habit was to Chen Meng. Zhù Da couldn’t fathom what on earth this Master Chen would have to say coming to his house.
Zhù Ying dropped her bundle, rose, and went to greet him.
Chen Meng said: “Pardon the intrusion.”
Zhang Xiangu didn’t know what had happened — why had Chen Meng arrived just as her daughter came home, before she’d even had a moment to rest? She said with a trace of worry: “Let me go and boil water for tea.”
Chen Meng quickly said: “No need — just a few words. I’m here to make some enquiries.”
Zhù Ying walked him into her own room while saying: “I haven’t been back in days. Master Chen, make do with the room. As for the case — you’re aware of it, I’m sure. Your honoured father will know the details by now.”
Chen Meng said: “I’ve come about another matter.”
“What matter? I’ve been confined to the Court of Judicial Review recently, without any way to get out. I know nothing of what’s been happening outside.”
Chen Meng said: “Alas. My aunt intends to hold a funeral service for Guanqun. Would you…… would you care to come and burn a stick of incense?”
The muscles in Zhù Ying’s face gave a small twitch. She suddenly stood up: “Wait just a moment.” She ran outside, filled a bucket with well water, and splashed cold water over her face. Zhang Xiangu was startled: “What’s wrong? The hot water is just about ready!”
Zhù Ying stuck her entire face into the basin, all the muscles in her face shifting about wildly in the cold water, as strange an expression as could be. Zhang Xiangu pulled her head out: “What on earth is wrong with you?”
Zhù Ying wiped her face with her sleeve: “Nothing.”
Chen Meng had also come out and watched her with mild concern. Zhù Ying said: “No — I won’t go. What would I be going there as? Just to get thrown out by the bereaved household.”
Chen Meng said: “Come now — what kind of matter is this?” He also glanced around the humble little courtyard and thought to himself: the parents here are simple enough folk, though they’re no bad people, and Zhù San is a real talent. His aunt truly……
He said: “Stop looking in nunneries and Taoist convents for her. Just live your own life.”
Zhù Ying asked in earnest: “Master Chen, if I were to find the person — would your family still acknowledge her?”
Chen Meng smiled bitterly and spread his hands: “My aunt’s side will never acknowledge her again. As for me…… how could I acknowledge her? My own mother says she’s dead. However…… if you actually find her, that’s your own doing. I’ll try my best to make sure my aunt doesn’t find out.”
Zhù Ying said: “If I find her, then she’s still my foster-mother’s daughter-in-law — my sworn elder sister. That work for you?”
Chen Meng said: “You…… truly are a devoted soul.”
Zhù Ying said: “I’m very tired. I have to be back at my post tomorrow. I won’t keep you.”
Chen Meng sighed and said: “And why must you go to all this trouble? We’re from the same hometown, after all.”
Zhù Ying said: “Which is exactly why I don’t need to stand on ceremony with you. I’m tired and need to rest. When I have something going on, I’ll find you.”
Chen Meng, mindful of the fact that her mood was probably not the best right now, showed unusual generosity: “I’ll see myself out.”
After he left, Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Da came forward to ask: “What happened?”
Zhù Ying said: “They’re not looking for Huajie anymore. They’re holding a funeral — treating her as dead.”
Zhù Da and Zhang Xiangu made a few cursing remarks, then said: “Huajie’s fate! What a fate!”
Zhù Ying said: “I’m tired — I need some rest.”
In Zhù Ying’s mind, she was actually quite elated. “Feng Guanqun” was already dead — the next time someone of a similar appearance emerged, she could only be someone who happened to look alike. Neither the Feng nor Shen families could do anything about her anymore. This was truly wonderful! She desperately wanted to go to the Gold Snail Temple right now — but night had fallen, and the curfew was in effect, and tomorrow she had to report to the Court of Judicial Review again.
She thought: then I’ll tell Huajie the news tomorrow afternoon, and we can plan out what comes next together. Huajie had no reason to keep being a monk. Being a nun was also an option. As for the matter of dressing as a man — Zhù Ying had experience with that. There were conveniences and there were inconveniences, and for Huajie, playing the part of a monk might be the more inconvenient option. Keeping her in a monastery full of monks made Zhù Ying uneasy.
This truly was one of the rare pieces of good news these days! Bearing this thought in her heart, Zhù Ying slept soundly and sweetly.
—