Not a single person at the Court of Judicial Review truly took a few days off at home. The second day after everything ended, when Zhù Ying returned to the Court of Judicial Review, she found all of her colleagues who were stationed in the capital had already arrived.

Though the weather had grown colder still, and the clothes on her body were thicker and heavier, it couldn’t dampen her good spirits — her steps were unusually light.

Senior Assessor Wang spotted her from a distance and said to Senior Assessor Zuo beside him: “Look at that — the young really are something else. One night away and she comes back full of energy again. I can’t manage it anymore — I’m old, I can’t keep up like this. It all falls to them now.” And then he yawned.

Senior Assessor Zuo found Senior Assessor Wang looking remarkably content and felt rather put out inside — his own partner was Su Kuang. Su Kuang was also an energetic young man, more experienced and more seasoned than Zhù Ying, and didn’t need much guidance before getting to work. If only Su Kuang had been a touch more considerate, Senior Assessor Zuo would be more comfortable than Senior Assessor Wang — lying back and collecting credit without lifting a finger. Unfortunately, Su Kuang was not that generous, and Senior Assessor Zuo could only roll up his sleeves and compete with a colleague who had energy, experience, ability, and ambition.

What a miserable lot he’d drawn!

He sighed and said: “Old Wang, your luck is good.”

“Neither of our lots is bad. Under Lord Zheng, this time — “

Senior Assessor Zuo understood. There would be rewards coming to the Court of Judicial Review this time, with only the question of how much each person would receive. Senior Assessor Zuo let out an inward curse at his luck, and said: “Your luck really is good. Little Zhù knows how to be considerate. That one……”

Senior Assessor Wang said: “Just wait and watch her make mistakes. From what I can see……”

“Nothing will go wrong for a good while, and we still need someone like her to lead the charge anyway. Alas.”

Senior Assessor Wang said: “Can you not see from these past days? This lord of ours — he knows exactly what he’s doing.”

By now Zhù Ying had walked up to them, and Senior Assessor Wang let the topic drop, smiling: “What? You already know the good news?”

“Hm?” Zhù Ying returned him a high-spirited, vacant grin. “Yes — good news. Good news?! What good news?”

Senior Assessor Wang said: “You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“Today we begin the confiscations!” said Senior Assessor Zuo.

Zhù Ying was surprised: “Where did that come from? Haven’t the judgments still not been finalized? Looking at how fiercely they were arguing, it seemed like it would take another two or three months at least. Doesn’t confiscation wait until after judgment?”

Senior Assessor Wang chuckled: “That’s the formal sentencing. Before the sentence is pronounced, doesn’t someone still need to take stock of everything that’s there? Take a bribery case, for instance — the assets are secured first, and the quantity of those assets determines the weight of the punishment. As for these people — who among them doesn’t have some business with accepting bribes? And it’s not as if all ten or twenty-some individuals will be tried and sentenced in one go. They come down case by case; the ones sentenced first get confiscated first.”

Senior Assessor Zuo rather enjoyed talking with Zhù Ying: “Little Zhù, you’re still new. This is your first time dealing with a case this big. With cases of this kind, there are lots of people and it’s complicated — the sealing, confiscating, interrogating, and judging all run alongside each other. The ringleader goes without saying. Even the accessories in this case are substantial enough to be worth confiscating properly. Someone like Gong Jie can be investigated for two or three years and then charged with ten major crimes and thirty minor offences. The small fish and shrimp get sent into exile three thousand li away from the very beginning — and the unlucky ones die on the road before they’re even a year out of the womb.”

Zhù Ying didn’t much care for the confiscation work, given how aggravating it was to share the job alongside those Imperial Guards and capital constables.

She said: “Oh. Aren’t there the ledgers for that though? Can’t guilt be established by the accounts?”

Senior Assessor Wang said: “Two different things — both processes have to be carried out. Why? Are you not pleased? What were you so pleased about just now?”

Zhù Ying shook out her sleeves: “My mother made me new winter clothes. Do they look nice?”

“What in the world would I know about that!” Senior Assessor Wang had worked closely with her for nearly half a month and was quite unguarded with her now. “Your outer official robe is covering everything — what do you expect to see? It’s all the same blue-green! Wait till you can wear green, wear red — and oh, wear purple — then ask me if it looks nice! By the way, this time, the confiscations — you’ll definitely be part of it.”

The old fellow lowered his voice and rubbed his fingers together: “Tread carefully, all right?”

Senior Assessor Zuo was of the same view: “This is a steady source of income, and a case of this kind — even for the Court of Judicial Review — doesn’t come around often. Done well, you’ll have enough to buy yourself a house. No more wandering without a fixed abode and having to rent.”

Zhù Ying said: “Look at me — how much can I carry on my own? And what about bringing people along? Do I have the skill to balance the accounts? Rushing to be involved is just handing people a handle to use against you. I’m better off conducting myself strictly by the rules.”

Senior Assessor Zuo said: “It’s not about whether you can do accounts — it’s about whether you’re considerate. That’s where the real thing lies.”

Zhù Ying said: “Easy things I don’t know how to do, and difficult things aren’t something I should get involved in. Best not to count me in.”

“What’s got into you? Everyone’s counting on this to earn a little extra before the year ends.”

“Oh, that’s right — it’s almost New Year! We’ll have a good New Year this year!”

Senior Assessor Wang said: “That’s right. I’d wager the lords will be pleased and won’t short-change us.”

These two seasoned officials both held Zhù Ying in high regard for the confiscation work, and both hinted that she should “be clever about it,” showing her considerable goodwill in the process. Once the most important business was spoken of, they moved on to idle gossip about the case — whose wastrel son had truly made things terrible for his father, not knowing that the son had privately been sending gifts to Gong Jie behind the scenes…… and the like.

In all their chatter, Zhù Ying heard no mention of the Prince of Gaoyangcommandery’s household. It appeared that from top to bottom, everyone had unanimously agreed to forget. She had half a mind to ask — the Prince’s son, though he had bribed Gong Jie, why did he absolutely have to die? The secret ledger listed more than just him — no other household had seen a great funeral procession! Stealing from the family home might earn you a broken leg from your father, she’d seen plenty of that in the countryside and small towns, and she’d also seen the occasional case of an accidental death — but those were accidental. The Prince of Gaoyangcommandery’s case was different. Why? Yet no one was going to tell her.

Seeing how well Senior Assessors Wang and Zuo spoke of matters within the Court of Judicial Review, and yet how both were merely junior officials, she decided she’d find an opportunity to consult Chen Meng about this. This matter was genuinely a knot tied up somewhere in her gut.

She half-heartedly played along with Senior Assessors Wang and Zuo’s conversation, until Zheng Xi returned from morning court.

……

Zheng Xi was always composed. He wasn’t someone whose emotions were entirely hidden — he could smile, and he could be cold, and he could jest — only his emotions were always tempered, somewhat muted, present but not excessive. He maintained just the right level of restraint, and that restraint imperceptibly added a quality — a faint, barely perceptible distance — that let subordinates feel drawn to him without quite daring to forget the hierarchy of rank.

When he arrived, the scene immediately fell quiet. Zheng Xi greeted Leng Yun and Pei Qing in his usual courteous manner, and Leng Yun said: “I’ll follow your lead entirely.”

Zheng Xi said: “Very well. Please summon the General, then.”

So it was to be confiscations after all.

Zhù Ying didn’t particularly mind. Zheng Xi knew she couldn’t read accounts, and he wasn’t going to expect her to steal an entire household’s worth on her own, was he? The Gong case still had ripples — there were also some ancillary smaller cases, such as General Ren having committed a crime, and in investigating his treason, a prior transaction between him and a certain other person had also come to light, or some former subordinate’s unlawful matter. Small cases like these, sending a junior official like her to get some practice — that should be the arrangement. Zheng Xi always handled assignments with skill, and she, Zhù Ying, was rather well suited for practical work like this, wasn’t she? Throughout, Zheng Xi had always placed her in roles dealing with practical tasks.

She hadn’t expected Zheng Xi to still designate her, and still to pair her with Officer Bao. Zhù Ying didn’t want to refuse to Zheng Xi’s face, so she just kept glaring at him. Zheng Xi pretended not to see it. But he also assigned two accountants to go along, so Zhù Ying stopped glaring. She was also given somewhat more personnel than the others — all “insiders” from the Court of Judicial Review.

They were all old acquaintances by now. Officer Bao was well-disposed toward Zhù Ying, and grinned: “Little Zhù — it’s me again!”

Zhù Ying could only grin back: “What a coincidence.”

The two had worked together once, so this time there was no need for the Capital Prefecture either — only the Court of Judicial Review’s own people and a portion of the Imperial Guards. With Wang Yunhe no longer in the middle of things, Zheng Xi and General Ye found things considerably more convenient.

Officer Bao was presumably used for a great many tasks by General Ye. And while Zhù Ying had never done this before, the accountants on Zheng Xi’s side were veterans. Zheng Xi gave Zhù Ying only a single glance, without saying much more. Zhù Ying already knew what she was supposed to do: observe, coordinate with Officer Bao’s side, split the proceeds half and half between the Court of Judicial Review and the Imperial Guards, and hand over the confiscated items at the end.

Senior Assessors Wang and Zuo both gave Zhù Ying smiles that said: didn’t we tell you?

Zhù Ying could only smile back. This time the Imperial Guards brought their own official seals too. Two offices going together had its protocols — different offices sealing a property meant the situation was different. Not bringing the Capital Prefecture this time was because a sentence had been formally handed down, and it was no longer the Capital Prefecture’s jurisdiction.

It was hard to say what the person who approved this arrangement was thinking. In any case, Zheng Xi and General Ye somehow managed to turn “mutual oversight” into “mutual conspiracy.”

Upon arrival, obliging soldiers immediately invited the two officers: “The main hall has been cleaned and set, my lords. Please be seated and watch us get to work.”

Zhù Ying said to Officer Bao: “It’s my first time leading this sort of assignment, and I’d like to get a feel for it. What do you think?”

Officer Bao said: “Hmm — let’s have a look around, settle the arrangements for the men, and then come back and sit down and wait for them to work.”

The two walked slowly around. By now the residence had been cleared — all family members and servants locked away — and there was no one but their own people on all sides. Officer Bao felt comfortable enough to talk openly: “Little Zhù, look — how do you conduct a confiscation?”

Zhù Ying said: “I don’t know much myself. I just want to make sure the case file can account for everything. You can’t very well confiscate a household and then submit a report saying the traitor was as clean as water — and then say you raided the wrong person.”

Officer Bao said: “Of course not! Don’t take your old brother here for someone too greedy to know his limits!”

“How could I? We’ve worked together, after all. But I’m young and haven’t dealt with anything like this before, so I still need your guidance.”

Officer Bao settled in to explain: “We certainly have to submit an account to those above. It’s really like fighting a battle — divide it up thirty-seventy. Submitting seventy percent is considered very honest these days. That’s how it goes for us too: seventy percent submitted, thirty percent divided between us two. You’ve already shown good sense — the most convenient things to take are the ones that leave no traces. Beyond that, we two can also…… compared to that, we’re only getting the small change — but we can’t go to all this effort for nothing. The brothers, the colleagues — they all know you’ve come to earn a cut, so even if you don’t share much, you’d better at least treat them to some good food and drink. If you don’t, then you just don’t know how to deal with people. Are we supposed to confiscate a traitor’s household and then lose money out of our own pockets doing it?”

He went on at length, then said: “I don’t suppose you know what Lord Zheng the Grand Reviewer would prefer? Though the truly conspicuous items might be too obvious, other valuable things that are easy to handle — you’d want to keep an eye out for those for your superior’s benefit.”

Officer Bao said quite a lot, then, somewhat self-consciously: “You’re a young man with a quick mind and an attentive eye. I’ll be candid with you — I was no good at studying when I was young. You’re the bookish sort. Do you see anything else that needs attention? Just give the orders and the men will do it — your word is my word.”

Zhù Ying said slowly: “There’s nothing else — I just want to be able to account for everything.”

Officer Bao said: “No problem there — the accountants handle the books!”

Zhù Ying said: “Good. Then let’s begin.” She didn’t go up and sit in the main hall either. Officer Bao thought she was a young person’s curiosity getting the better of her, and went along with her at a stroll, also explaining a few finer points of a confiscation to her: “It’s just like fighting a battle!” He explained how to seal the gates, how to divide and partition the space, how to sweep and search.

Zhù Ying listened with genuine interest.

Finally she asked: “In a confiscation like this, do any of the household members ever escape?”

Officer Bao laughed: “That depends on who’s doing it. Generally they can’t get away. Do you think the household register is just for show? You go through name by name and head by head! After all these years, how many stories and plays have talked about — secret cellars, water vats, under the bed…… You think we don’t go to teahouses and listen to storytellers?!”

Zhù Ying’s mouth twitched slightly.

Officer Bao picked his teeth and said: “Young brother, if there’s someone you’ve taken a fancy to, or if Lord Zheng the Grand Reviewer has a taste for something in particular — so long as they’re not the convicted official’s family members — a singing girl, a dancing girl from the household can be crossed off the books without a problem. Bondservants too, same idea. What do you think? Shall we have a look?”

Zhù Ying said: “All right.”

The family members and bondservants had all been tied up together. They also counted as “confiscated goods” — some would be sold off, some would follow their masters into exile, and so on. Through this matter, Zhù Ying came to understand why it had been possible back then for the Feng family to switch the children around.

There were also household servants who had not been sold into permanent bondage and were only hired workers. These wept and cried, insisting on their innocence. Zhù Ying held the household register and went through it person by person, releasing all who were hired workers. She also took it upon herself: “Give each of them some money for the road. Five hundred coins for those from the capital area; one string of cash for those from distant provinces. It all comes from this household.”

Officer Bao thought to himself: this is a soft-hearted sort — too young, really. I certainly wouldn’t be this lenient.

The accountants in their hearts made their calculations: for the departure fee, they could enter one hundred strings of cash in the books and list it as two hundred.

Some of the permanently bonded servants were also weeping — saying they had also been hired workers, or had been forced into servitude, or were family servants whose parents, heartsick for their children, wanted to entrust them to a hired worker and beg that they be taken away with them. Officer Bao bellowed: “You creatures — idling and getting up to mischief alongside a traitor is one thing — and now you still dare try to fool us?!” None were permitted to go. Because they were also “assets,” and what would it look like to let them all run off?

Zhù Ying let out a sigh: “Well then, let’s do a good turn. Those sold permanently into bondage can also be released.” She also had road money given to those people.

Seeing hope, the servants wept as pitiously as anyone could ever wish to see.

A junior clerk of the Court of Judicial Review who had been unable to voice an opinion until now could no longer hold back: “No more releases — the bondservants’ names are on the master’s household register. Even if you release them, they become runaway servants that the authorities will capture and return. You let them go, and they’ll still end up fugitives.” He also scolded the bondservants for being shameless, taking advantage of Zhù Ying’s soft heart.

Zhù Ying took the servant registry and said: “Understood — enough of the scolding. Old Bao — let’s get to the real work.”

Officer Bao said: “Exactly!”

The accountants were all veteran hands. Zhù Ying had never seen truly fine things before, but passing through the Prince of Gaoyangcommandery’s inner treasury had given her some sense of scale, and without needing to know what was good and what was not, she could roughly gauge things by comparison. She and Officer Bao divided the proceeds according to what had been agreed. Zhù Ying might not be skilled at accounting, but she knew that her own side’s accountants would inevitably tilt the books in their favour, so when the account was submitted, her side would have more and the Imperial Guards’ side less.

Once all the official confiscated items were divided up, there were still the private stashes in each room. Those were up to each person’s own ingenuity.

Officer Bao also allowed his own soldiers to each take a few small gold or silver pieces and the like. Zhù Ying’s approach was different from his. She allowed the accountants and junior clerks to take small amounts of gold and silver without identifying marks, but did not permit them to take obviously distinctive items. Occasionally she would walk up to a junior clerk who was trying to pocket something, pick up a gold ingot herself, and say: “Here — trade you for that gemstone ring you’ve got.” She “traded” the ring out of his hands, then tossed it onto a tray and said: “Enter it in the register.” She patted the man on the shoulder: “Steady streams keep flowing.”

Officer Bao drew in a quiet breath and raised a thumb toward Zhù Ying. He thought to himself: no wonder Lord Zheng — someone so formidable himself — didn’t send anyone else, but sent this fresh-faced young person instead!

From that moment on, Zhù Ying could be said to have achieved a fundamental mastery of the art of conducting a confiscation.

……

A confiscation required more detail than the earlier sealing of the residence had. For one household, from the initial securing of people through to verifying the accounts and compiling the inventory, it took three full days. And since this was genuinely a rich and rewarding assignment, someone was always watching. These days, Zhù Ying had no chance at all to go and find Huajie. So she settled herself in and focused on doing the work properly.

When she went to report back to Zheng Xi, Zheng Xi was gratified and said: “Excellent. I was not wrong about you.” He also asked what she had observed and learned.

Zhù Ying thought to herself: when I was a fortune-teller, I never stole, never took by force, never played people for fools in any truly serious way — just a small measure of deception, that was all. Now that I’ve become an official, what gets done is far worse than stealing or plundering. I knew officials rarely keep their hands clean — I just hadn’t realized how deeply they dip in. One entry in the books — several hundred or a thousand strings of cash. Another entry — a thousand or more taels of silver. Another — a chest of gold. And just like that, it’s gone.

She said: “Being an official isn’t easy, is it.”

Zheng Xi said: “What kind of odd thought is this?”

Zhù Ying said: “Officer Bao has become like a brother to me.”

Zheng Xi laughed and said: “You cheeky thing.”

After that, Zheng Xi kept arranging for Zhù Ying to join the confiscation teams — the larger the household and the wealthier it was, the more likely she was to be assigned. This was because the caution Zhù Ying showed was something even many veterans lacked. Taking a cut in confiscation work was common knowledge shared by all. When there were accountants doing the books, that was already quite good — some careless individuals would simply remove a few pages from the confiscation inventory, and everything listed on those pages simply became theirs. Whether there happened to be anything on those pages that could implicate someone never crossed their minds — which would later become another item of evidence against them when their own turn came.

Zhù Ying didn’t know much about valuables — that was a weakness — but she understood the four words: “leaving no traces behind.” And that was exceedingly rare.

Zheng Xi also received reports about her. Zhù Ying conducted herself without taking too much, and also released some of the servants, which made for a very agreeable reputation. She also got on well with the Imperial Guard personnel; when it was later changed to a different officer named Li, she got along smoothly with him too.

And so things went, confiscation after confiscation, right through to the twelfth month as the New Year approached. The treason case the Court of Judicial Review was handling was close to taking final shape; the various offices were about to break for the holiday. Zheng Xi finally called a halt and said: “We’ll resume next year! Everyone take a breath and enjoy a good New Year.”

Everyone at the Court of Judicial Review stared at him expectantly. Zheng Xi himself had taken the lion’s share from the confiscations, yet he was also very generous — he prepared plentiful New Year gifts for Leng Yun and Pei Qing, and gave each person below something of their own. Everyone expressed their thanks to Zheng Xi. Senior Assessors Wang and Zuo quietly said to Zhù Ying: “Little Zhù — well done!”

Only Su Kuang spoke in a voice rather too loud: “With all that gold and silver, it’s all thanks to Little Zhù!”

Zhù Ying said: “Right — I held a knife to the lord’s throat and extorted it all for everyone.”

Senior Assessor Zuo broke into laughter: “The whole Court of Judicial Review, and only you have that nerve!”

Zheng Xi heard it and smiled, but said nothing. Zhù Ying also gave no further explanation. She just pulled Senior Assessor Wang aside to ask which restaurant in the capital did a good New Year’s Eve banquet: “This year I don’t want my mother stuck in the kitchen being busy. I’ll book a few tables — the food keeps, and we can eat through it slowly.” Senior Assessor Wang began listing all the good places to eat. Senior Assessor Zuo chimed in: “If you ask me, what you should do first is buy a bondservant to come home and wait on your honoured mother.”

The Court of Judicial Review immediately took on the atmosphere of ordinary daily life.

Zhù Ying had received her extra income and, as she always did, went home and split it with Zhang Xiangu — keeping a portion for herself and handing the larger part to Zhang Xiangu to save. Zhang Xiangu said: “Oh goodness, being an official is truly…… well, I’ve heard them say confiscations are where the rich pickings are, but I never imagined they’d be this much.”

Zhù Ying said: “What rich pickings? This is Lord Zheng giving everyone something for the New Year from the office. The offices each vary in how well off they are — ours is better, because the lord has real ability.”

Zhang Xiangu said: “Oh, oh, I see, I know! Well, this much — do you think it’s enough to buy a small house?”

She was very hesitant. A small house was almost enough — but she had been thinking about one close to the palace, so her daughter wouldn’t have to run there on her own two feet every day. It was heartbreaking! Especially in winter, in the most inconvenient times of the month. That simply wouldn’t do. She also thought about buying a larger one that could keep a horse or donkey, so Zhù Ying could ride to her duties.

What Zhù Ying had brought in seemed like a fortune to an ordinary household, but to actually find a satisfying house in the capital turned out to not be quite enough.

Zhù Ying said: “Hold onto it for now. A year’s rent on this place has already been paid — there’s no rush.”

Zhang Xiangu said: “What? Still more confiscations to come?”

Zhù Ying sighed: “Confiscation work isn’t exactly something to celebrate, you know.”

“That’s true — but word has it you have a kind heart and let quite a few people keep their lives.”

“Nonsense — I don’t decide the judgments. By the way, we need to prepare a few things. We ought to host some drinks for Elder Brother Jin, Elder Brother Gan, and the colleagues — they’ve all helped a great deal over the year.”

Zhang Xiangu ran the numbers in her head — there went the kitchen of the new house. But she was happy all the same: “All right, I know! Oh, and will there be a promotion to go along with the money?”

Zhù Ying said: “That depends on when.”

Zhang Xiangu said: “No rush, no rush — I’m not pressing. Word has it you’re moving up faster than most! We’ve got real benefits too, haven’t we.”

……

Zhang Xiangu’s mouth may have had special powers — when she played proper fortune-teller she was always quite off the mark, but this time around she was uncannily right.

Not long after she finished talking about “real benefits,” Zheng Xi had Zhù Ying summoned to the Zheng Marquis’s residence.

Zhù Ying went. Zheng Xi said: “Get ready. In two days, come with me to the Prince’s household.”

Zhù Ying said: “Me? Again……”

“What are you thinking? The formal investiture ceremony for the Heir Apparent — you have to attend to observe the ceremony and offer congratulations, don’t you?”

The matter had been decided long ago, though there was usually an official ceremony involved — since the Heir Apparent’s ceremonial accessories, garments, and other matching items had to be prepared, the formal ceremony was coming before the New Year. This was already considered quite efficient, even a touch on the simple side.

Zhù Ying had no wish to go to the Prince of Gaoyangcommandery’s household. That place — she had gone there once, exposed the family’s son’s wrongdoings, and the son had died in unclear circumstances. She feared being blamed.

Zhù Ying hesitated and said: “I’ll bring an unlucky atmosphere if I go — it would be bad if it made people think of old matters.”

Zheng Xi said: “When I tell you to go, you go.”

As they spoke, a servant came and said: “The Marquis and the Marchioness have heard that Little Zhù is here and wish to see him.”

Zheng Xi said: “Come on, then.”

Zhù Ying was escorted over. Jin Liang was standing at the old Marquis’s side, giving her meaningful looks with a conspiratorial expression. The old Marquis looked at him, then said to the Princess Imperial: “Doesn’t this child look spirited?”

The Princess Imperial also smiled: “Yes — one look and you can tell she’s clever and well-behaved. Come here, let me get a better look.”

Zhù Ying glanced at Zheng Xi. Zheng Xi gave her a look, and Zhù Ying stepped forward. The Princess Imperial smiled: “Very good, very good — a well-mannered, good child. You’ve worked hard these days! This son of mine — everything else about him is fine, only that he works too hard at whatever he does, and when he throws himself into something, he drags everyone else along with him.”

Zhù Ying said: “I actually rather like it.”

Both the Princess Imperial and the Marquis laughed.

The Princess Imperial was quite generous — having declared that she had worked hard, she gave a substantial amount of medicinal herbs, spices, and the like. She studied Zhù Ying for a moment, then had a box of hairpins and ornaments brought out for her to “smarten herself up.” She also gave Zhang Xiangu a full set of gold jewellery — five pieces altogether, hairpins and earrings all included, inset with pearls and gemstones. The gemstones were not large, but they were attractive — and genuinely precious stones, too, worth real money.

Jin Liang said quietly: “My lord.”

The Marquis let out a cough, then delivered a little lecture: “Taking risky chances and making unusual moves should not become a habit! The right approach is to meet things head on, and to use unconventional means to win! Keep your footing solid!”

This old man then reached out and flicked Zhù Ying on the forehead. The old man’s hands were extremely powerful; the flick left a bump on her forehead. Zhù Ying’s head buzzed, and she stood there wide-eyed, rubbing her forehead. The old Marquis then gave Zhù Ying a fine bow and arrows, and swords and blades too, and had Jin Liang take her to pick out her own selections.

This family behaved as they did, and Zhù Ying was still somewhat caught off guard by the warmth they showed. Most superiors in the world took their subordinates’ hard work for granted. That Zheng Xi was generous was already remarkable enough — that even his father and mother were this magnanimous was rarer still.

Her reluctance to go to the Prince’s household diminished considerably.

At the Prince’s household, no one took any blame out on her. They treated her quite well. The household gave no outward signs of having just recently lost its eldest son. Zheng Xi, predictably, was swept up and hugged by the old Consort Dowager for a thorough squeezing and kneading; the Princess Imperial and the Marquis had also come for the ceremony, yet both let their son be kneaded and rubbed about by the old Consort Dowager without interference.

When the old Consort Dowager had finally finished working over her grandson, she said of Zhù Ying, who stood carefully off to one side: “This child looks familiar — very pleasing to the eye.”

The old Consort Dowager then bestowed some bolts of silk on Zhù Ying, the Princess-consort also said she’d add to the occasion, and she gave bolts of silk and a set of writing implements as well. The Prince also bestowed a silver sash and a court robe, and beyond that, the Prince patted Zhù Ying on the shoulder and praised her: “You are a very conscientious child. If not for your diligence, I would still be in a difficult position.”

Zhù Ying was very silent throughout her time at the Prince’s household. She was extraordinarily deferential in manner and a touch wary — afraid that a carelessly spoken word might make this Prince, who had been able to let his own son “die of illness,” remember a grudge against her.

Yet the Prince and his household showed no signs of displeasure. Zheng Xi gave Zhù Ying a look, and she accepted the bestowals with great courtesy and gave thanks for them. The old Consort Dowager said: “What are you thanking them for? They are the ones who should be thanking you.”

That was the extent of that moment. Guests were arriving in succession, and Zhù Ying was taken out by the Prince once more to serve as a quiet signal — “this young man helped us remove a family problem; I am entirely loyal, which is why I am so grateful to him” — and so forth. Zhù Ying maintained her expression of modest shyness, waiting while the Prince made his round of important guests displaying her. Once the Prince had finished, she also stepped back discreetly.

Among the guests, she also spotted Chen Meng. This young master had come on behalf of his father. Chen Meng was very warm with Zhù Ying: “Little Zhù is here too? I was just saying that I hadn’t seen you in quite a while! Old Huang and the others also miss you. New Year drinks are coming — you must come to mine.”

Zhù Ying said: “Fine. I’ll go just to eat and drink, not to drink wine.”

Chen Meng also laughed: “I know your ways.”

Zhù Ying couldn’t help thinking: I still have something I need to ask him — I almost forgot!

When there was a moment, she drifted over toward Chen Meng. Chen Meng saw her too, and the two went to a quiet corner to talk. Zhù Ying asked in a low voice: “Is this household truly pleased?”

Chen Meng said: “Of course they are!”

“But weren’t there just funeral rites recently……”

Chen Meng laughed: “You’re still too young after all. Let me ask you — if that hadn’t happened, what would be left to do with that person? Keep him?”

Zhù Ying said: “At the very least the succession is now settled and the heavens won’t fall. If he’d been kept on……”

Chen Meng said: “Exactly because he’s a son. What prince doesn’t love his son? But he loves his principality more, and this family’s inheritance. Kept him, and would that one have been truly at peace? What would he have done in time? Just as Gong Jie’s treason case came along, the Prince could take advantage of the opportunity to make his loyalty clear. A son like that — what household doesn’t have one or two? The difference is only in which fathers see clearly, and which fathers indulge in wishful thinking.”

Zhù Ying thought of Chen Meng’s brother who had been cursed, and fell into silence for a moment. After a while she said: “Thank you for the explanation, Master Chen.”

Chen Meng said: “If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t have said this. I said it because it’s you, and you’re someone who understands reason. Alas — I owe a great deal to the warning you gave my honoured father, which made it possible to be prepared.”

Zhù Ying said: “Why keep such a precise tally?”

Chen Meng said: “Then I do owe you my thanks. Only — I wonder, what new developments have there been in the Gong case?”

Zhù Ying said: “I’ve been busy with confiscations. But it’s all the same people as before — and the connected minor cases are just that, minor ones, with officials of lower rank. Hardly a good assignment — watching so many people weep and wail is emotionally draining.”

“Word has it you found a way out for quite a few servants. Alas……”

The two fell into silence again, and it was Chen Meng who spoke: “Today is a good day. The Prince has had good fortune, the Heir Apparent is good fortune, and you yourself are about to have a piece of good fortune.”

“What?”

Chen Meng smiled: “Your promotion is moving so fast, I nearly thought you were Zheng Xi’s own son! He submitted a petition, and everyone at the Court of Judicial Review who could be promoted has been. Some have had their ceremonial ranks raised; you — Judicial Inspector, junior sixth rank! Count for yourself — how many grades is that?”

Zhù Ying breathed in sharply: “I’m afraid someone will want to eat me alive.”

Chen Meng said: “It’s the mediocre ones who don’t invite envy. What is there to be afraid of? You also have people looking out for you. And you’re not so conspicuous — at the Court of Judicial Review, Lord Zheng outshines everyone. Outside the Court of Judicial Review, you don’t amount to much. And there are quite a few people being promoted this time!”

“Oh?”

“Those arrested — who will fill their positions when they’re removed? You make arrests, they can’t exactly stay vacant.”

“I see.”

With the serious talk concluded, the ceremony over there was getting underway. Zhù Ying and Chen Meng went back, waiting to observe. Zhù Ying, of low rank, and not wanting to stand out, settled herself quietly a considerable distance behind and to one side of Zheng Xi. If called, she was close enough to hear and come quickly; if not called, she stayed put.

The main figure of the day also appeared.

When this young Heir Apparent appeared, Zhù Ying was startled, and she understood why people of the capital, having seen much of the world, didn’t question that she was a girl.

This young Heir Apparent looked even more like a girl than she did! The children of great capital households, whether boys or girls, were mostly fine-skinned and delicate — unlike in the countryside, where they’d be out in the fields and end up burned as dark as charcoal for the most part. But among the children of great capital families, the young Heir Apparent was extraordinarily beautiful and refined.

Only he looked very frail. Dressed in the great formal robes, he was flanked on his left and right by two attendants supporting him, and even his bowing was done with people’s help.

Zhù Ying thought: no wonder the Prince doesn’t feel confident placing the family inheritance in his hands. He’s even frailer-looking than the eldest son of the Zhū family back then. If he were to take over the household, wouldn’t he be completely swallowed up by others? The Prince truly has had a difficult time.

She felt a measure of sympathy for the Prince, which partly offset the account she’d been keeping against him for using her as a display piece. She also understood that the Prince at least would not be inclined to take revenge on her now. She relaxed and ate heartily. She also thought about her upcoming post as Judicial Inspector — she wondered: would doing this work as Judicial Inspector mean she’d get to handle cases? She also wondered who else would be promoted and how Senior Assessors Wang and Zuo had fared.

……

The formal appointment had not yet been issued, so Zhù Ying could not say anything to others. She continued working at the Court of Judicial Review as usual. As the New Year drew close, everyone was growing a little slack. Zhù Ying was dragged outside by Senior Assessor Zuo to sit in the sun and chat with Yang the Sixth of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Yang the Sixth had not been able to come to the Court of Judicial Review for some time and had been bursting with frustration. The three of them stood together with their hands tucked in their sleeves, leaning on the railing, looking at the scenery, chatting idly. One great hobby these junior officials shared was gossiping about the senior officials who passed by.

Senior Assessor Zuo said: “Those people over there — I find their faces a bit familiar. Have you seen them before?”

Yang the Sixth looked, and laughed: “Hey! Isn’t that the Lord Zhong Yi who was dismissed and sent home a while back? The one beside him — Zhou You, General Zhou.”

“Them?”

“Yes. One is being put in charge of the Ministry of Rites, and from what I hear the other is being transferred into the Imperial Guards.”

“What?” Zhù Ying asked. “Why?”

“There are vacancies!” Yang the Sixth said, as if the answer were obvious. “You lot have some nerve asking — how many people did your Court of Judicial Review remove in the Gong case? Those positions can’t just sit empty, can they?”

I do the dirty work, and you get the office?!

Even knowing Yang the Sixth’s logic was sound — Zhong Yi and Zhou You’s poor performance was real, but compared to those like Gong Jie, they were more reliable, and it made sense for the Emperor to bring them back into service — Zhù Ying was still rankled.

I work myself half to death doing something terrible, I get promoted from the junior eighth to the junior sixth rank — and you did nothing, did whatever you pleased and did it badly, and you get……

“His rank — how many grades is it?”

“Hmm, Senior Fifth Grade, upper.” Yang the Sixth said it without thinking.

Zhù Ying thought to herself: what kind of justice is this in this world.

—