Wen Yue was a devoted son. After his mother’s condition began to improve, his warmth toward Zhù Ying grew considerably. Before this, the two of them had had no real connection — their births, upbringings, and the tasks each had performed for Zheng Xi had none of it overlapped.
Now there was a connection.
Huajie went to Wen Yue’s home once every few days. It was her first time treating a patient of such standing, and the physician was more anxious than the patient’s family. And precisely because of her patience and thoroughness, Wen Yue’s mother recovered faster than Huajie had expected. In the fifth month, the pain steadily diminished. By early in the sixth month, her movements were no longer much impaired.
Zhù Ying watched Huajie going around tense every day and asked: “What’s the matter? Has it gotten worse?”
Huajie said: “No — it’s getting better.”
Zhù Ying then joked: “If it’s getting better and you’re still not eating well or sleeping well — why not just stop treating her?”
Huajie, for once, told her: “Don’t be ridiculous.”
With Wen Yue’s mother making progress, Huajie squeezed time out from her anxiety to have Zhù Ying handle the land transfer paperwork, smooth and easy — and twenty mu of land was now in hand. When the transfer was completed, the original landowner also came. Zhù Ying met him and had to invite him to dinner before sending him on his way. The original landowner’s name happened to be Tian. He was said to be forty years old; he looked considerably older than Zhù Ying’s colleagues of forty, his skin darkened and weathered — looking much like the people of Zhū Family Village.
Zhù Ying treated him warmly and put out four cold plates and eight hot dishes, with fish and meat. Old Tian held himself back as he ate at first, then let himself go, and finished more than half of a large braised pork knuckle. Zhù Da said: “Eat slowly, don’t choke — whatever you can’t finish I’ll have wrapped for you to take home.”
Zhù Da was showing his magnanimity. Zhù Ying didn’t stop him, and waited until Old Tian had eaten about seventy percent full before asking: “You had twenty mu of land — why did you suddenly not want it?”
Old Tian quickly set down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth: “Couldn’t keep it, my Lord. The small person’s land was passed down from ancestors — your grandfather’s and uncles’ generation divided it among siblings and it got thin, then in your father’s generation another half was taken away by someone, and by the time it reached the small person there were only twenty mu left. The sons aren’t much good either. Not long ago, hearing that this official is honest and decent, the small person cheekily came to ask for your protection.”
This was not an uncommon situation. Many people had no choice. Old Tian’s advantage over the rest was that he happened to hear that Zhù Ying collected low rent and made few demands. So he had moved early to find himself a landlord who would not be too brutal.
Zhù Ying thought: I’ve heard of this before but never looked into it closely. This “honest livelihood” of farming — I’ve never really examined it. I should start paying more attention. Old Tian is a person who farms his own land — he would know far more than Huajie.
She asked Old Tian to explain farming to her. Old Tian felt somewhat at a loss — the thought in his head was: you, a young lord, asking me about tilling the ground — this isn’t something that can be explained clearly over a proper meal. I think dragging you out to the fields to harvest a few days of grain, haul a few days of water, and watch over the garden for a couple of days would teach you more than talking. The new master was asking and he couldn’t not answer, so he picked out the basics and told Zhù Ying a little, occasionally weaving in some of his family’s history — things like: we actually once had good land, but it was taken from us as I said, and good land has proper irrigation and drainage, and so on. While he talked, he was thinking inwardly: ah, being an official is truly a wonderful thing! At such a young age, eating like this!
A person with twenty mu of land could not treat eating meat as ordinary. With a larger family, it was barely enough for adequate food and clothing — every aspect of life, from clothing to food to housing to travel to births to deaths to weddings, had to be wrested from that soil, and one didn’t dare spend it all on the stomach.
Old Tian did not know that the Zhù household only began to find meat unremarkable after Zhù Ying had risen to Reviewer and earned extra income from the asset seizure. He was talking away and thinking meanwhile: this minor official’s rank is not high, but she is young and might have a promising future. If one of the children could come and serve as a servant or steward, that wouldn’t be a bad lot.
With that thought, he said: “There’s a good-for-nothing youngster eating idle meals at home. If you don’t mind, just use him as you see fit.”
Zhù Da’s interest was piqued and he cleared his throat. Zhù Ying said: “Don’t disrupt the farming season — tend to the fields first.”
Old Tian was headed off. As he left, Zhù Ying had the restaurant wrap up all the uneaten dishes for him to take away.
On the way home, Zhù Da asked: “Why not take the free offer?”
“I don’t know the first thing about him — how could I dare use him?”
“But his entire household stake is in your hands now!”
Zhù Ying gave Zhù Da a look, said nothing, and waited until they were home before she told her father: “If he wanted to, selling me out would get his family’s estate back — and he’d get a reward besides.”
Zhù Da said: “He’d dare sell out an official?”
Zhù Ying said: “A stranger, someone we know nothing about, brought right into the house — catches sight of something he shouldn’t, reports it, and the whole family is shackled.”
Zhang Xiangu and Huajie were women and had not joined the meal with an outside guest. They only now heard what had happened. Zhang Xiangu went into a panic, ran to the kitchen, came out with a cleaver, and was ready to fight Zhù Da to the death: “You rotten old fool! Having one of your fits again! The child has barely gotten herself some dignity and you can’t resist showing off and throwing your weight around, can you? You feel itchy all over if you don’t. You keep spewing this nonsense and ruining things for her, see if I don’t take you down with me!”
Zhù Da’s face burned, and he said: “Speak properly! What did I even do…”
Zhang Xiangu let fly: “Rubbish! What did you do? Aren’t you just trying to be the one in charge?! Fed and housed well, and you think there’s no face in it! You want to be a respected old patriarch! Such a great official for a child, and you still want to manage her — how impressive you must feel! Don’t think about where your impressiveness comes from! You just strut! The money you used to pilfer from the house before — what was all that for? No shame at all! San’er! We won’t have any servants in this house! Let’s see what he has to feel impressive about!”
Huajie carefully stepped forward and took hold of Zhang Xiangu’s cleaver-hand: “Foster-mother, calm down.”
Zhù Ying also steered Zhù Da back to his room, saying: “There will be servants eventually. Give me a little time to find the right people.”
Zhù Da said loudly from behind his door: “An official without a servant — is that appropriate? I asked one question — so what? If you don’t want to, I’m not forcing you, am I? Who ever heard of a wife going after her husband with a cleaver?!”
Zhù Ying said: “Shall I bring you one too?”
Zhù Da was thoroughly silenced. On the other side, Zhang Xiangu had also been talked into silence by Huajie. Zhù Da then said quietly to Zhù Ying: “If you’d just sorted this out sooner, none of today’s scene would have happened.”
Zhù Ying didn’t argue and just said: “Fine.” But inwardly she felt not a trace of urgency. For this, better none than the wrong one — it absolutely could not be rushed. If really pressed, she’d rather go ask Zheng Xi to lend her someone.
Because of this incident, the two old people didn’t speak to each other over dinner. That night, Zhang Xiangu brought her bedding to Zhù Ying’s room: “I’m sleeping here tonight.”
Zhù Ying didn’t try to talk her back, just said: “Fine.”
Zhang Xiangu tossed and turned in bed unable to sleep. She said to Zhù Ying: “Don’t listen to your father in everything! That old thing — when times were hard he kept his head down, and now that things are a little better he puffs himself up. You are the one holding this family together. If you listened to him in everything, we’d all end up begging! “
“Mm. I know what’s right.”
Zhang Xiangu sighed: “Saying he’s bad doesn’t work — he’s made it through all these years alongside us. Saying he’s good — I truly can’t say that.”
That made Zhù Ying laugh. She laughed, and Zhang Xiangu smiled helplessly too: “Good enough, good enough. Doesn’t gamble, doesn’t visit brothels. Sleep.”
…
The next morning, all three family members were up and about as if nothing had happened. Huajie had been living with the Zhù household for a while and at first had thought Zhù Da disapproved of her. After some time she realized this was simply how the family interacted, and the next day she too was perfectly composed — rising, washing, and helping prepare breakfast.
Except for Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Da still occasionally giving each other looks, Zhù Ying and Huajie were already chatting and laughing as usual.
Zhang Xiangu, eating, said: “Huajie, last time Wen Yue’s family’s young mistress gave you some satin and hairpins — how shall we return the courtesy?”
Huajie said: “Let me see her a couple more days, see what she uses and what she’s short of, and decide then. She’s also asked me to take a look at her younger sister — the girl isn’t well either.” Wen Yue’s young wife was the one managing the Wen household, since Wen Yue’s mother had been unwell for so long.
Zhù Ying laughed: “Miracle worker!”
Huajie said: “She only came to me because she knows me.”
Zhù Ying said: “She came because your skill is outstanding.”
After a few exchanges of flattery, Huajie urged her to go report for duty. Zhù Da, still quarreling with Zhang Xiangu in his heart, had nonetheless settled down and said: “The weather is hot — leave early.”
Zhù Ying tucked some extra food for the road and headed to the Court of Judicial Review. Huajie finished breakfast, and after clearing up the dishes with Zhang Xiangu, went first to the nunnery. The abbess was pleased to see her: “I thought you weren’t coming.”
Huajie said: “I am devoted to the Buddha in my heart — how could I not come?”
The abbess smiled: “You come to pray with a sincere heart, and you want to learn some medicine even more sincerely.”
Huajie said: “Learning this is also not to pry open the doors of wealth — it is to fill the gaps in a poor person’s roof.”
“Amitabha.” The abbess intoned the Buddha’s name and beckoned Huajie over to get busy. Huajie cheerfully joined her, helping together to prepare summer cooling drinks, boil them in a large pot, and have the young nuns carry them out to a shed at the temple gate. A few bowls were set up inside; the drinks were ladled in and left to cool so any passerby could help themselves.
When that was done, she asked the abbess about the condition of Wen Yue’s young wife’s younger sister: “She said there was a miscarriage — I think the uterus is not clean…”
The abbess said: “Many conditions are obvious the moment you look. The outside male physicians cannot treat them because they cannot examine. You can examine — so you are already better than them. Do not think that because they could not treat it, you too cannot.”
Huajie received the guidance and, a day later, went to the Wen household. First she re-examined Wen Yue’s mother, and seeing that her expression had smoothed out and she no longer wore a permanently furrowed face, she felt reassured. Then, going with Wen Yue’s young wife to her sister’s home, she examined this young woman. She first prescribed some medicine to regulate the body; the next day she returned to clear the root of the illness; and finally she left a prescription to guide recovery.
The two sisters were endlessly grateful. Huajie was inwardly pleased and simply smiled. She accepted the gifts of thanks, intending them partly to contribute to the household and partly to put a little toward medicines for the Compassion Blessings Nunnery. These past two years it had been Zhù Ying supporting the family, and spending money to support her study of medicine — and now she could bring money back in return. Her heart was full of contentment.
Because Huajie’s medicine had worked, Wen Yue’s mother felt much improved and said to Wen Yue: “I’ve been ill for all these years, and you still want me to move like a girl of twenty? This is already very good. It was the household’s connections that led to meeting this person; she was willing to help us, we’ve seen the results, and she’s even helped your sister-in-law’s sister. We ought to go and pay a call to express our gratitude properly. We can’t let people say we don’t know propriety and just take advantage.”
Wen Yue’s young wife also said: “That elder sister is an extremely gentle and attentive person — thoughtful and good-hearted. I would like to maintain a lasting friendship with her. I’ve also heard that her younger sibling is a dependable person. Having these friends is very appropriate for us.”
Wen Yue had already made one round of inquiries about Zhù Ying with Gan Ze and Lu Chao. Both described her as “forthright and direct” and “seems not to push or flatter, but is clear-eyed in their heart.” He said: “I made up my mind long ago — I just waited until she too had some time free.”
Wen Yue’s mother said: “What are you waiting for? Go tonight! And don’t be stingy with gifts! I’ll say one thing — you two are filial children, especially the young mistress. Since she married into this family, what your elder brother has brought home has been considerable, and a good deal has been spent on me, and she still serves me without a word of complaint. Now that I am better, we’ll have considerably less expense, and the two of you can have an easier time — enjoy yourselves, have some children well, and all live together in a lively, prosperous family!”
All three were sensible people. They prepared a proper gift. Wen Yue’s mother also quietly told the young wife: “I noticed she doesn’t have a medicine chest. I’ve already had someone commissioned to have one made. We’ll have it picked up when it’s ready and give it as a gift of thanks.”
The young wife said: “Better yet to wait a little longer. Tomorrow I’ll have someone go to the medicine shop and fill the drawers with the right herbs before we send it — wouldn’t that be even better? The main gift your elder brother has already had me prepare, but a few things are still short. If it’s all ready tomorrow, we can send a calling card, and the day after will be a rest day — much more convenient, won’t it?”
Wen Yue’s mother said: “You think of everything.”
With everything properly prepared, all three of the Wen family came to call.
Zhù Ying received Wen Yue’s calling card and, smiling, handed it to Huajie: “This visit is for you. We are just benefiting by association.”
Huajie, pleased in her heart, said with her mouth: “It was your idea first — otherwise I would still be at the nunnery without the confidence to come out.”
Zhù Ying said: “In the end it is your own ability! Yesterday I reserved good food and wine at a restaurant. Today no matter whether they stay for dinner or not, we will celebrate properly ourselves!”
Zhang Xiangu said happily: “This is wonderful — now Huajie can settle in comfortably! The first year or two, I could tell Huajie wasn’t entirely at ease.”
“Foster-mother…”
The family was busy exchanging pleasantries when the Wen family arrived. Wen Yue had manservants carrying gifts; Wen Yue’s mother had a maidservant supporting her; the young wife had come without her maidservant — though Huajie knew she did have one at home. The Zhù household managed everything themselves.
After the courtesies of greeting, the Wen family first expressed their thanks. Zhù Ying did not claim any credit, but praised Huajie instead. Huajie said: “I was nervous throughout. It is the young mistress who has accumulated good deeds.”
Zhang Xiangu heard Wen Yue’s mother call her daughter “Minor Official Zhù” one after another and quickly said: “Oh my, why all this ‘Minor Official Zhù’? You give her too much credit! ‘Little Zhù,’ or ‘Sanlang’ — everyone in this neighborhood calls her that.”
Wen Yue then felt he could no longer say “Minor Official Zhù” and also called her “Sanlang.” The two sides changed form of address at that. Though they could not be called families long intimate, it was not far from it. Zhù Ying and Wen Yue also gradually became more genuinely familiar. She had a good impression of all three of the Wen household — Wen Yue too was a man without a father, yet the family lived in comfort and harmony.
She had only one complaint: “How dare they get ahead of me in commissioning the medicine chest?! Silver needles, gold needles — those should be mine to provide!” She complained to Huajie.
Huajie smiled: “Fine — that I will leave to you.”
She had also received various gifts of thanks from the Wen family and brought out the fabric and hairpins for Zhang Xiangu to have first pick. Zhang Xiangu said: “Keep them for yourself — aren’t they your own things? You finally have enough to make yourself two proper new outfits.” Huajie, seeing she wouldn’t take any, made each of them a pair of shoes and Zhang Xiangu finally accepted.
Not many days passed before someone came through the connections of Wen Yue’s mother and young wife asking Huajie to look at a women’s ailment. And Jin Liang’s wife, being close to Zhang Xiangu, heard of it and was quite interested — through Zhang Xiangu she also made contact with Huajie. Huajie said to Zhù Ying: “I only knew that poor women had difficulty getting medical care. I hadn’t thought that even women of official households find it not so convenient.”
Zhù Ying said: “You see — you had the foresight to think of that layer. Just keep at it! Oh — I’m thinking of buying a donkey. In the future it can carry your medicine chest when you go out.”
Huajie said in amused exasperation: “I don’t need it yet! That medicine chest is very fine and has all the commonly needed medicines, but what physician compounds medicine on the spot? For most conditions the patient fetches the medicine themselves. Only for those things too difficult to mention does one compound a bit of medicine right then and there. That’s the only time one needs to bring one’s own medicine chest. It’s not like being a wandering street physician ringing a bell, or a resident physician in a wealthy household. And if we bought a donkey, who would look after it?”
Zhù Ying said: “You have a point. A male servant is more complicated. But do find yourself a female servant. You’ve been getting increasingly busy, and you shouldn’t be helping with housework anymore — you’ll be exhausted.”
This time Huajie did not refuse: “Indeed. Having Foster-mother do the cooking while I just eat isn’t sitting well with me. It really is time to have a female servant help with cooking and washing. I’ll look around these next few days. Something too fine and delicate won’t do — can’t manage the actual work. Needs to be the rough and ready type.”
Zhù Ying said: “Can you get rougher than me?”
Huajie laughed: “You are the most meticulous person of all.”
A few days later she had a candidate for the Zhù household.
She was a woman of about twenty, short and stocky, with rough hands and broad feet — capable of splitting firewood and cooking, and also of hauling water and doing laundry. Nothing at all like the fair and delicate maidservants of wealthy inner chambers. Zhù Da was not entirely satisfied — he felt Huajie taking such a maidservant out in public would not look impressive enough.
Zhang Xiangu, however, was quite pleased: “She’s a solid sort.”
Zhù Ying cared more about her background. Huajie said: “Surname Du. No given name — she’s the eldest in her family, so some call her Eldest Niece and some just call her Elder Sister. She’s from outside the capital. Her parents died, she has no brothers, and the family has no land; she had to come to the city to find food — otherwise she’d have been ‘married off’ by the clan to some lame old bachelor. She lived at the nunnery for a while, helping in exchange for three meals and a place to sleep.” Huajie had observed her for two years; now that the Zhù household needed someone, she thought of her.
When looking for servants, one preferred people of clean and honest background from proper households. Someone with family ties who could be traced was preferable — even if they ran away there was somewhere to look. But this type was somewhat more expensive. Next best was someone of clean background who had nowhere to turn — this was also good, because they tended to be wholeheartedly on the same side as the household. Buying an outright servant would of course be cheapest; a rough middle-aged servant in her prime might cost ten strings of cash at a generous price.
The Zhù household only needed someone reliable. Huajie said: “Old Tian’s people have already made inquiries — she’s a plain and honest sort.”
Zhù Ying decided to keep her: four seasonal outfits, three meals a day, and five hundred cash a year. In return, all the rough household work would be handled — including but not limited to sweeping and cleaning, tending the fire, washing, hauling water, carrying things on errands outside. Zhang Xiangu and Huajie could as a result take it easier — free to read, manage accounts, do needlework, and chat with the neighbors as they pleased.
The Zhù household had never used servants before, so everyone deferred to Huajie.
Du Elder Sister needed only plain cloth clothing; she was even less particular about food. Since there was no male servant yet in the house, the gatehouse west room was cleared out first and given a small bed, a wardrobe, a table, a chair, and a wash-basin stand — that was her room.
Zhang Xiangu regretted: “Had I known it would come to this, there was quite a bit of leftover lumber when we had the furniture made. I should have had the carpenter knock something together then — now it has to be done fresh, and it costs more money.”
Zhù Ying let her say what she would, and told Du Elder Sister: “Get settled in first and take your cues from Mother and Elder Sister. My room you don’t need to tend. They’re keeping busy — I have something to do.”
Zhang Xiangu said: “Where are you going?”
Zhù Ying said: “I’m going to call on Lord Wang. There’s something I want to ask about.”
“What?!”
…
Zhù Ying went back to her room and pulled out a book. Wang Yunhe had said she could come and ask whenever she didn’t understand something — she was certainly not going to stand on ceremony. Besides the academic question, she had also prepared another topic.
At the Jingzhao Prefecture, the people inside were already on even friendlier terms with her! The constables in private said they “couldn’t make sense of these high officials” — clearly the Court of Judicial Review had come and stolen the Zhou You case, and yet Lord Wang had moved on as if nothing had happened, and was actually nicer to Zhù Ying than before. Since Lord Wang wasn’t bothered, and Zhù Ying had shown no other “deficiencies,” they let it pass and muddled through.
When Zhù Ying came to the Jingzhao Prefecture, they all called out greetings, and she smiled and said hello back.
Wang Yunhe was very busy that day — an important guest had come — so Zhù Ying left her reading questions behind and went home.
The next day at the Court of Judicial Review, she screwed up her courage and went to ask Zheng Xi about it.
Zheng Xi laughed: “So even you have days when you can’t see Wang Yunhe?”
Zhù Ying said: “When I used to run over to borrow files, there were times I couldn’t see him too. But this time it’s curious — such a formal visit with a guest. My Lord, what sort of person is Liu Songnian?”
“Oh! He’s here?” Zheng Xi rarely made dramatic exclamations; this time he seemed genuinely surprised.
He laughed: “Preeminent literary figure in the realm — but rather too given to making trouble. He once rendered service to His Majesty, yet also tends to be excessively self-indulgent. Only Wang Yunhe doesn’t hold it against him.”
Zhù Ying filed that away: “Preeminent literary figure in the realm, yet dark of heart and ruthless of hand. Could this ‘preeminent literary figure’ title have been coerced out of others?”
Zheng Xi laughed so hard he couldn’t hold himself together: “You’re not allowed to say that — those words die with you here. Speaking of which, there’s a matter you ought to start handling.”
Zhù Ying asked: “What matter is it?”
“You’ve learned the ins and outs of the miscellaneous affairs well enough by now. The Court is short of people. Among those clerks, do an initial screening first and then report to the Chief Reviewers.”
“What?” Zhù Ying had not expected this task to fall on her. She ventured to ask: “Am I up to it?”
Since she had transferred to the Adjudicator post, she had plenty of odd tasks in hand and had also come to know certain things not fit for outside ears. For instance — the Court of Judicial Review also had ghost positions on the payroll. When a clerk had been on long-term sick leave and was effectively dismissed, they were still officially carried on the books at full head count and still paid. But because the Court had only just been reorganized a few years ago, the ghost-position problem among the clerks was not severe. Officials were managed differently — the Ministry of Personnel kept track — and the headcount matched. As for the ghost position wages, Zheng Xi channeled all that money into the Court’s public funds, which was why the food at the Court of Judicial Review was quite decent.
The Court was short of officials, but Zheng Xi did not let it reach full staffing, always keeping one spot short — dangling it as bait.
Zheng Xi said: “If you can’t even do this well, how are you going to do anything big? Go!”
Zhù Ying took her newest orders and smartly went out to select people. She thought it through: given the Court’s current situation, Zheng Xi wanted to do solid work and build real results here, so the people selected would have to have genuine ability. From the way Zheng Xi had assembled the group at the Dragon Boat Festival, he worked with a fairly comprehensive lineup. The Court would need all types useful for all types of cases. At the same time, people for handling administrative matters were also needed — and right now, Zhù Ying herself was doing that job. Furthermore, drawing people up from the clerk ranks would leave new clerk vacancies — should a few more be recruited?
Now that she was an Adjudicator, she pulled out the Court’s current personnel roster and went through it carefully.
She wrote out her own plan very carefully and brought it to Zheng Xi before he had even opened it, saying: “I ask you to do something and you come back giving me assignments.”
He opened it and couldn’t help saying: “Quite thorough.”
Zhù Ying said: “If this plan seems sound to you, I’ll proceed. I’ll find several candidates for each category and you can circle the ones that suit you best.”
Zheng Xi said: “You know what to do — why aren’t you already doing it?”
Zhù Ying took her plan and slipped out. She had it figured: going by the types of cases she knew, there needed to be people who could read accounts, people who could examine corpses, and people who knew the legal codes. She also planned to recruit a few people who were skilled at managing awkward situations — not for anything else, specifically to be pushed out front to bicker and stall with the other offices.
She went first to find the Left Reviewer: “Old Zuo, this task is mine now!”
The Left Reviewer was overjoyed: “You’re the one for this!”
Zhù Ying said: “Don’t say anything yet — do you have any suitable people? I know there are three layers of decision-makers above me and I can’t make the final call. But I can get names onto the list.”
The Left Reviewer’s eyes lit up, then he said with affected restraint: “Well, I might have one or two.”
“Stop playing dead — if you have names, bring them. All I need is clean backgrounds and qualifications that meet the Ministry of Personnel’s requirements.”
The Left Reviewer said: “I’ll come find you tonight!”
Zhù Ying also went to find Hu Lian, same approach. Hu Lian gave a cough and said: “Well, that depends…” Zhù Ying rested her cheek on her hand and fixed her eyes on him, watching to see what he would do. Hu Lian said: “In all my years at the Court I’ve already settled all my own people comfortably! But — cough, cough — there is one acquaintance, a family with a child who wants to take a clerk post at some point. Keep an eye out — I’ll give you his visiting card tomorrow. Don’t worry — the young man is sensible and won’t give you trouble.”
“Done!”
That evening, the Left Reviewer came with a young man. Zhù Ying looked and said: “Isn’t this Little Gu?” The young man was one of the Court’s younger clerks, normally quick-footed and reliable, and was hoping to secure a jail warden post. The Court had four jail warden positions; Zhù Ying wrote his name down.
The Left Reviewer had come empty-handed, but Little Gu was carrying a load of packages. Little Gu glanced at the Left Reviewer; the Left Reviewer said: “Little Zhù, this is just a small expression of gratitude from the boy.”
Zhù Ying said: “A jail warden’s wages aren’t enough to feed a family — how does this pile amount to less? Take it back. I’m only putting the name forward — whether it goes through is not certain.”
Little Gu, quick as a flash, said: “Just having you put the name forward is already a great trouble taken on my behalf. It’s not only about making a living — it’s that it sounds better when you say it. Having even a small rank means my father and mother can be proud. For the sake of their happiness, whatever it takes, I’m willing.”
The Left Reviewer kept giving Zhù Ying meaningful looks, urging her to take it. Zhù Ying said: “You two, don’t try to play games with me — we see each other every day. If Little Gu is not suitable, I wouldn’t have agreed in the first place. Do good work and don’t cause me embarrassment. Next time you get a promotion, remember me then and give me something — I’ll accept it then.”
The Left Reviewer had already received a fee from Little Gu; seeing that Zhù Ying refused to take anything, he said to Little Gu: “Take it back with you. Listen to our Little Zhù here — the most straightforward person there is. Going forward, whenever she has instructions, attend to them with care — that’s how you show you haven’t forgotten who did this for you.”
Little Gu gave a deep bow; the Left Reviewer signaled to Zhù Ying with his eyes and took Little Gu away.
The next day, Hu Lian handed Zhù Ying a visiting card listing a person’s three generations of ancestors. Those seeking clerk positions sometimes did so not because they wanted to be a clerk forever but because of the path from clerk to official. Hu Lian’s acquaintance was going about it exactly that way — looking at the card, this was someone whose father and grandfather were both minor officials who had both died, and no longer counted on the hereditary privilege route. So this was the path they had chosen.
Zhù Ying took the card. This matter was actually easier than Little Gu’s, because there were more clerk positions. Selecting an official from among the Court’s existing clerks was one thing; bringing a new person in as a clerk from outside required a guarantor — Zhù Ying got a letter of guarantee from Hu Lian, and one person was thereby settled. Within the guarantee letter, Hu Lian had slipped in a small card. Zhù Ying pulled it out and said: “This won’t do.”
She had lived in the capital for several years and knew that the city had shops that issued paper notes — one shop would issue a note for a quantity of goods, or a money shop would write one for a sum of cash — much like the rice shop where she redeemed her salary in grain. This was a redemption token. What Hu Lian had slipped in was a token for collecting cloth.
Hu Lian said: “Just a small token — new season fabrics, to have something made for the Honored Mother in autumn. If you don’t take it, I won’t rest easy!”
Zhù Ying said: “This is no different from selling a vacancy. Lord Zheng finds out about that and I get a hiding.”
Hu Lian said: “Do you know why he gave you this task? It’s an opportunity for you. What does it mean to ‘sell a vacancy’? You don’t know, do you? Your gift has to be something someone is willing to accept. If they’re willing to accept, that means you’re in a relationship worth something. Some people want to give gifts and can’t even get in the door.”
Zhù Ying handed the token back and said: “Won’t work. I’ve only just started this job — how could I take the liberty already? You recommended all these people — they’re all your people. What would it make me if I took something from my own people? You’ve taught me so much — I should be doing something for you in return. Take this back; when you have something to ask of me in the future, will you accept my gift then?”
“Of course!” Hu Lian laughed and took the token back.
“There you go!” Zhù Ying said. “If I really needed money, I’d put out the word and let the highest bidder come to me — I’m not interested in these small sums from you. When I want to earn money, I have my own way of earning it.”
Hu Lian said: “You little rascal, you really are something!”
Zhù Ying tucked the visiting card and guarantee letter away and went back to her desk to write it all down.
There was also one person she was adding somewhat for her own reasons — she went to find Coroner Yang. Coroner Yang was her unofficial and unacknowledged teacher in the examination of corpses; because of the Zhou You case, he had harbored a small grievance against her, which had since been more or less cleared up. Even without the grievance, when Zhù Ying came to his door and asked whether he was willing to try for one of the Court’s new openings for his son, Coroner Yang’s last trace of resentment vanished entirely!
Without a moment’s hesitation, he wrote out three generations of ancestors. Zhù Ying looked at it and laughed: “Coroner Yang — it’s your son’s name I need, not yours.” Coroner Yang’s face went red and he wrote it again. He also said: “I’m not sure the young one’s skill is good enough.”
Zhù Ying said: “If I didn’t think he was good enough, would I have come to you? Vouching for someone with no ability — am I trying to get myself dismissed?” She knew that Coroner Yang always brought his son along as assistant on examinations; the son had some experience already.
Coroner Yang had his own calculations too. He had a son and an apprentice; one office only needed so many examiners, and he had to find another livelihood for the surplus. Without Zhù Ying, the son would have to look for work outside the capital. With Zhù Ying, things could be arranged conveniently! He hadn’t kept his son to take over his own position but hoped that while he himself was at the Jingzhao Prefecture, his son could get into the Court of Judicial Review — father and son each drawing a salary from two different posts. His apprentice could then work more steadily as his own assistant.
This was all the personal favor she cared to do; anymore would not be appropriate. Zhù Ying carefully assembled several groups of candidates, each with their particular strengths listed. The clerk candidates passed relatively easily through the Chief Reviewers’ screening — the two of them just asked one question: “You must investigate carefully! It was precisely small clerks abusing their power that caused the storm between the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review — all coming from a petty clerk!”
Zhù Ying said: “All have guarantors. This one — father is a Jingzhao Prefecture coroner, family occupation, several generations settled in the capital. Those three — guaranteed by three persons each. This one — guaranteed by our own Court’s Hu Adjudicator. All are reliable people.”
For the promotion of clerks to official rank, Zhù Ying said: “All are people who have been used before. This one knows accounts — useful for corruption cases in the future. Lords may also wish to set a written examination.”
The two Lords had no knowledge of accounting. Both said: “Better to test them on legal statutes.”
“Lords are quite right. These several all know the law — they simply could not qualify to sit the Classics of Law examination, which is why they took the clerk route instead. These others have skills only in accounts, corpse examination and the like, and will have to be brought in and further trained. I will go at once to prepare and have everyone in the Court do a broad reading of some key legal provisions.”
The Chief Reviewers were satisfied and signed at the top of the list.
Zhù Ying took that list and brought it up to report to Zheng Xi.
Zheng Xi hadn’t even opened it yet when he said: “I tell you to do a task and you come back giving me assignments.”
He opened it and couldn’t help saying: “Quite thorough.” He asked: “Shall I leave it like that?”
Zhù Ying said: “If you think this approach is sound, I’ll proceed. I’ll find several candidates for each category and you can circle the ones that suit you.”
Zheng Xi said: “If you know what needs to be done, why aren’t you already doing it?”
Zhù Ying took her plan and slipped away. She had thought it through carefully: given the types of cases that came through, there needed to be people who could read accounts, people who could examine corpses, and people who could recite the legal statutes. She also planned to bring in a few people with a talent for managing awkward situations — not for any other purpose, but specifically to be deployed as frontmen when dealing with the other offices.
Zhù Ying took the final approved list back, and couldn’t help pausing.
Such a clear division of labor — each person above orchestrating from their own position — made her think again of the Dragon Boat Festival banquet.
Every person of high position had eyes for no small number of talented, capable young people. Anyone who thought they were the one and only chosen person had been mistaken from the very beginning.
…
When Zhù Ying had finished settling that matter, the Jingzhao Prefecture also sent over a calling card — written by Wang Yunhe, setting a time to discuss some academic questions with her.
Calling it a “discussion” was flattering Zhù Ying — her scholarship was still behind Wang Yunhe’s by several decades of accumulation.
She arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture with a humble and attentive spirit — and found Wang Yunhe producing a manuscript for her: “This is something I’ve newly written. Come read it and tell me how it compares to before.” This was the notes from the night the two of them had talked at length, which Wang Yunhe had fully reorganized and polished. Zhù Ying read it while silently committing it to memory; when she finished, she returned the manuscript to Wang Yunhe and said: “This version you’ve written is considerably clearer — but there are some things that have been cut.”
“Cutting is editing!” Wang Yunhe said.
He was delighted to have completed this essay, having also discussed it at length with Liu Songnian, and the final draft was now settled.
Seeing how pleased he was, Zhù Ying took the opportunity to raise another question she had prepared: “This junior recently purchased a few mu of humble farmland, however…”
“Oh?”
“Coming from humble origins, no family estate to speak of — now that I have taken an official post, I’ve acquired a few mu of humble farmland. Because my ancestors going back eight generations never farmed, and neither do my neighbors on any side. They say irrigation is very important, but I don’t understand it — I heard you speak on this subject before. I was wondering how to go about opening channels to bring in water.”
Wang Yunhe was drawn in and said: “Let’s go take a look.”
Zhù Ying took Wang Yunhe directly out to her fields for a walk. Zhù Ying said: “Elder Sister says we need a water channel — I don’t know how to open one. It looks like quite a bit of work.”
Wang Yunhe said gravely: “This is a matter in the Jingzhao jurisdiction — I cannot leave it unattended! If this stretch of land were properly irrigated, it could all be good farmland! Irrigation channels are not dug just any which way — they need proper planning. You are young and don’t quite understand — let me tell you…”
From Wang Yunhe, Zhù Ying learned about terrain, how to plan and open channels, how to calculate the labor, how to handle steep elevation differences, how wide a waterway needed to be for boat traffic, how to check powerful families’ water-powered mills, and also about geomancy — because breaking ground for works in the capital region required attention to geomancy; miss it and you’d be impeached for it.
Zhù Ying’s actual intention had been to borrow the tiger’s awe — a Jingzhao Prefect coming out to her plot of land for a circuit, with herself as escort, the two of them pointing and discussing. Some people would then not dare scheme against those few humble mu of land.
But she also wanted to benefit from Wang Yunhe’s pointers!
Having sponged as much as she could from both fronts, Zhù Ying happily walked Wang Yunhe back to the city, inwardly radiant with satisfaction. She arrived home bouncing with contentment, just about to report the good news to Huajie, when she came through the door and saw Du Elder Sister holding Huajie’s clothing — a smear of blood across the front — about to wash it. Du Elder Sister’s own skirt also had bloodstains.
Zhù Ying was shocked: “What on earth happened?!”