Du Elder Sister, holding the bundle of clothes, started at Zhù Ying’s exclamation and her hands jerked — clothes tumbling down. She scrambled to gather them back up into her arms and said: “Sanlang is back? The young mistress is fine — there’s a wounded person.”

The east wing door was also pulled open; Huajie came out in a clean change of clothes, her face without any particular expression of happiness. Zhù Ying at first thought something had gone wrong with a patient she was treating, and thought: a physician is no immortal…

Huajie said: “Du Elder Sister, your clothes are dirty now too — in a moment you’ll need to change them out and wash them. You only have the one new outfit. Let me find something for you to change into first.”

Du Elder Sister said: “My old one can still be worn — it’s just right for working at home in.”

Zhang Xiangu leaned out from the main room: “That old one is far too worn — it has patches all over. I have an old one here — at least it has fewer patches. You change into that, and wash the dirty ones together.” She brought out an old padded cotton garment of her own. This was one she had had made after arriving in the capital; back in Zhū Family Village it would have counted as a good outfit. Zhang Xiangu had put on a little weight recently and could no longer fit into it, and had not yet gotten around to taking it apart and altering it, so she gave it to Du Elder Sister to wear.

Du Elder Sister quickly put the clothes into the basin, accepted Zhang Xiangu’s, and said: “Thank you, Madam.”

“What’s there to thank? Hurry and go change.”

Zhù Ying, seeing the three of them talking over each other like that, suddenly felt rather surplus. Once Du Elder Sister went to change, Zhang Xiangu said to Zhù Ying: “San’er is back? How did it go with Lord Wang?”

Zhù Ying said: “I took Lord Wang out to walk around our field.”

“Oh my, this is truly…” In Zhang Xiangu’s eyes, having a great and important official, a good official like Wang Yunhe, willing to make a personal visit to their own modest field, and at their own daughter’s invitation at that, was something so fine she couldn’t find words for it.

Zhù Ying smiled, then went back to her room and changed into house clothes. She carried the outer garments she’d worn out to the doorstep and shook the dust off them. Zhang Xiangu took them from her: “I’ll do it — save washing if we can. Washing wears out fabric and the color fades.”

Zhù Ying put on wooden clogs and a summer linen garment. Du Elder Sister came out changed as well; Zhang Xiangu’s old clothes fit her well enough. She let Zhang Xiangu look her over and then went back to washing clothes. Zhang Xiangu gave Zhù Ying a meaningful look. Zhù Ying pulled Huajie aside, and the two went to talk in the east wing.

Huajie gazed at Du Elder Sister through the courtyard — clear water pouring from the bucket into the basin — and sighed: “Studying medicine, yes — you can help some people. But it cannot save people who are truly suffering.”

Zhù Ying asked: “Why do you say that?”

Huajie said: “Today…”

The Compassion Blessings Nunnery, as far as Zhù Ying could tell, was a proper nunnery with no unsavory dealings. The Compassion Blessings Nunnery had a long history, with some temple properties; donors giving oil-money were numerous and more than sufficient to sustain the normal activities of the Buddhist establishment, with enough surplus to fund charitable medical care. There were none of those sordid goings-on, and it did shelter some truly desperate women — women like Du Elder Sister — giving them work in exchange for food and lodging. Once they found a place to go, as at the Zhù household, they moved out. Women who had saved up a little and settled would often donate back to the nunnery in return — adding to the oil-lamp fund, or contributing to a new Buddha image, or providing medicines.

Today Huajie had not had a patient like Wen Yue’s mother to attend to; after finishing the housework she had gone as usual to help at the nunnery. Misfortune struck in the form of a difficult matter.

“There is a young woman named Fu, who a while back knelt before the nunnery gate asking to take vows and enter religious life. The abbess asked her circumstances; she said her family had no one left and she was begging for a place to stay and a bowl of rice. The abbess has seen many such cases — it’s not necessarily true, and some are simply running away from home. Even for those who genuinely have no family left, some come in a moment of despair wanting to shave their heads and then regret it. Young age, susceptible to worldly thoughts — many leave of their own will. Tonsure certificates are not easily obtained — one cannot simply admit anyone. The abbess said: come stay and try it for a while and see if it suits you before deciding.”

Zhù Ying said: “Something happened today?”

“Yes.” Huajie sighed. “Today, someone came to the gate looking for her — her husband. The moment she saw her husband she tried to flee. Her husband had brought two people to take her back. The abbess said a clean Buddhist establishment cannot have men running amok inside. But they wouldn’t listen, and insisted the abbess was harboring a fugitive wife. The nunnery had other worshippers and patients — they couldn’t let those people be disturbed. Du Elder Sister and I tried to hold them back, but we couldn’t. As it was going to come to a head, the young woman Fu ran outside and slammed her head against the gate lintel — a large gash in her head. It drew quite a crowd.”

Zhù Ying said: “Did you go treat her? Couldn’t save her?”

Huajie said: “She was saved. In our nunnery we’ve treated women beaten half to death before. The abbess is older now, so I called on Du Elder Sister, and the two of us carried her back and treated the wound. The abbess has connections and the bystanders were all saying the young woman’s husband was being unreasonable. As luck would have it, Wen Yue’s young wife was also at the nunnery that day to burn incense, and Wen Yue had come with his people as escort — that is how the situation was brought under control.”

Zhù Ying said: “Then tomorrow when I run into him I’ll have to thank him for helping you out. As for that man — just because he says he’s the young woman Fu’s husband? There are plenty of tricks like that! Traffickers work in groups — saying they’re recapturing a runaway wife, and bystanders won’t interfere in what looks like a ‘family matter.’ In reality they might be abductors.”

Huajie said bitterly: “He really is her husband — the moment the two of them faced each other, the young woman Fu herself acknowledged him and begged the abbess to save her. Their family had previously been managing, both respectable people — but unfortunately the husband contracted a gambling habit and lost every bit of property. Then he wanted to ‘pledge’ his wife to an old landed gentleman who had no son by his wife, to produce an heir and settle the gambling debt. The young woman Fu said that she was at least a woman who could read a little and knew some proprieties — she was not to be treated this way. She took her son and left.”

“A son?”

“Yes. She had a son — otherwise who would want her? She had already produced a boy, which meant she was clearly capable of bearing sons!”

Huajie said it with a scowl on her face.

Zhù Ying said: “And what now?”

“Ah — the two men the husband brought are the steward and a hired hand of the old gentleman. Seeing things had come to this, they said they didn’t want the person anymore and told the husband to return their deposit. He refused, and insists on taking his wife back. I think he wants to sell her again. Actually being sold outright would be better — parted from this gambler for good. Even becoming someone’s slave, if the master was decent enough, she could survive. What I’m afraid of is this going on — being pledged and transferred again and again — and the young woman Fu would be finished for life. Little Zhù, what should someone like her do? If she runs again, how would she run?”

Zhù Ying didn’t take up that thread and instead asked: “The child — where is the child?”

Huajie was taken aback: “I didn’t ask. The young woman Fu said: the son is always of his family’s people. His father is still alive and the family still has some means — surely nothing terrible will happen to him.”

Zhù Ying made a sound of acknowledgment, and also looked at Du Elder Sister washing clothes. Such things were not everywhere, but they were not uncommon either. A husband going to recapture a wife, or pledging and selling her — the wife’s own family could raise some protest, but the authorities didn’t get involved. And if they did get involved, they would only judge in the husband’s favor. Even knowing full well she was going back into fire, the most that could be done was to “admonish” the husband to treat his wife well.

Huajie knew this reasoning too. She said: “All I can do is try to stall a few more days and let her body recover a little more. But how would she escape? If she runs and that man comes after the nunnery — we can’t bring trouble to the nunnery.”

“Are the young woman Fu’s parents and brothers still alive?”

“None. If they were, would things have come to this? At least she’s from a family that could read.”

“Are that man’s parents and grandparents still alive?”

“I don’t know. Why are you asking these things…”

Zhù Ying said: “If the young woman Fu has the nerve for it — go back, stand on the highest embankment, and curse that man’s ancestors going back eight generations in full hearing of the neighbors. That can constitute grounds for divorce by mutual enmity. And if there are real old grievances, making a public scene of attacking each other is also possible. My only fear is that she can’t get away, and instead gets beaten to death for cursing his in-laws. In the situation as it stands, just don’t offer wild advice. You focus on treating her injuries — and once she has the strength, the next time she runs she should go further away and not get caught again.”

Huajie said: “That’s all that can be done.”

Zhù Ying also reminded Huajie: “Gamblers are madmen. To him she’s not his child’s mother — she’s his capital for paying debts and turning a profit. Whoever blocks him, he’ll fight to the death. Don’t get too close to him. He really will hurt people.”

Huajie said: “I’ll remember.”

Zhù Ying also made a mental note — she planned to find time to go to the Compassion Blessings Nunnery and take a look herself. Without actually going to see, she couldn’t say whether there was a way to solve it.

After a while Du Elder Sister had the clothes washed. Huajie said: “Oh dear — it’s time to make dinner.” Zhù Ying moved to help; Huajie said: “What do you think you’re doing? Du Elder Sister tends the fire, I cook — what are you here for?”

“Who is afraid of whom? That’s how this household is.” Zhù Ying said, and rolled up her sleeves to go into the kitchen and chop vegetables anyway.

…

The next day at the office, Zhù Ying settled the matters at hand first, then went to find Wen Yue and thank him. Wen Yue said: “It was nothing at all — why mention it? How is Elder Sister doing? Was she frightened? Has she recovered?”

Zhù Ying said: “She’s all right — she’s a physician herself. She brewed herself a calming decoction and is much better. She just feels troubled in her heart because of that matter.”

Wen Yue said: “A man given to debauchery and gambling — truly shameful!” He also lamented that the young woman Fu really had a hard lot, and hoped she could have a bit of good fortune.

Zhù Ying felt little satisfaction in this and, using the excuse that there was still something at the Court, took her leave.

New people had been brought into the Court. She also went and remarked to the Chief Reviewers that the newly arrived people — like the young Coroner Yang and the others who didn’t know much about legal provisions — ought to be given some legal reading. The Chief Reviewers had no patience for teaching clerks to read; they pushed the whole matter off onto Zhù Ying and made themselves hands-off. Zhù Ying was genuinely busy for half a day — sorting out the staffing clearly, telling each of the new people their specific duties, then briefing them on the rules to follow within the palace and within the Court, and after that explaining some basic legal provisions.

In between came the various miscellaneous matters: the Court’s midday communal meal menu and ingredients, the summer cooling drinks and the expenses for those on duty, and so forth.

Then there were the case reviews sent up from the various prefectures and counties below, and the documents from the Ministry of Justice forwarding materials for the Court to review, and so on.

By the time Zhù Ying finally had a moment to herself it was just before dismissal. She said to Hu Lian: “Before I took over, you were busy too. Now you barely move. This isn’t right. The two of us ought to divide the work a little. Otherwise you’ll have to share your salary with me.”

Hu Lian burst out laughing: “Then tomorrow I’ll do a session on legal provisions too. Looking at how you teach legal provisions — it’s quite wrong!”

“What’s wrong with how I do it?”

With Zhù Ying, reading legal provisions was a matter of glancing at them and having them memorized. The people below her listening to her teach didn’t have that ability. What she considered obvious and skippable, the others simply didn’t have the capacity for. That made her a poor teacher.

Hu Lian said: “You need to teach to the individual.”

Zhù Ying thought: when do I have that kind of time? They’re not dim-witted — first pour it in, let them digest it themselves. On her face she wore an expression of receiving instruction and invited Hu Lian to teach, whereupon Hu Lian pushed it off onto the other Adjudicators: “We’re all colleagues.” Zhù Ying said: “I’m afraid my standing isn’t quite high enough to invite them — together?”

Hu Lian agreed: “Fine, let’s say something tomorrow together. The day is not early — time to go home.”

Zhù Ying happened to have something on and left the palace at the same time as him. Hu Lian went home; Zhù Ying went to the Compassion Blessings Nunnery, wanting to see for herself what that wretch of a man looked like.

She made her way to the Compassion Blessings Nunnery only to find it the same as always — not many people, not few, no one standing about watching, and no man trying to seize a wife in sight. Zhù Ying walked in at her leisure, saying hello to the nuns big and small — they all smiled and said: “Minor Official Zhù.” No need to press palms in Buddhist salute, they just smiled and kept going about their work. One pointed toward a room and said: “Huajie is over there.”

Not only was Huajie there — Du Elder Sister was there too. Huajie didn’t come to the nunnery every day, but when she did come, she made a point of bringing Du Elder Sister along to help with a little of the work. The nunnery had sheltered Du Elder Sister in her hardest time, and Du Elder Sister was glad to come. Zhang Xiangu, for her part, was not yet comfortable having someone serve her — she kept feeling that a stranger watching over her was unsettling, and she couldn’t very well tell Du Elder Sister to stay in the gatehouse and not come out.

Huajie was preparing medicine for an elderly woman. Zhù Ying stood watching. Du Elder Sister told Zhù Ying: “That man started cursing and yelling first thing in the morning and then left the city. At night the curfew prohibits wandering; someone threatened to drag him away and lock him up if he kept causing trouble, and he said he wasn’t making trouble, just crouching against the wall. He spent the whole night there crouching at the base of the wall.”

Zhù Ying said: “Better he leaves early and for good — don’t let him track her down again.”

Huajie added: “What a pity the wound was so serious. A few more days of recovery before she could have left today and be clear of it.”

When Huajie finished preparing the medicine, Zhù Ying walked with her back home. Huajie’s spirits had improved considerably now that the young woman Fu’s husband had gone, and she was willing to chat and joke along the way. She also told Zhù Ying: “When the seventh month comes and autumn begins, it’s time to start tonics — I want to prepare some sesame seed pills for Foster-father and Foster-mother.”

The Zhù household’s idea of tonics was to eat more good fish and meat. Huajie’s approach to tonics was very precise. Zhù Ying said: “Fine.”

The three of them went home and told about the young woman Fu’s situation. Zhang Xiangu was also relieved to hear it.

…——

Because Huajie was on her mind, the next day after leaving her post Zhù Ying went out on the street to find Old Ma and Old Mu and told them: “Keep a closer eye on the Compassion Blessings Nunnery for me — if anyone makes trouble, protect Elder Sister.” Both agreed.

They sat in Old Ma’s tea stall. Old Mu’s fierce air had been almost entirely concealed; Old Ma also looked like an ordinary person. Zhù Ying enjoyed moments like this and enjoyed listening to street gossip. Old Ma said: “Your household’s young mistress really is a good person — she treats the poor too.” Zhù Ying said: “The Compassion Blessings Nunnery is all like that.”

Old Mu said: “They do it to accumulate merit — they’re keeping count, like saving money. Your Elder Sister doesn’t want anything for it — she just helps people. But — she would do better not to walk down the pleasure-quarter street. She’s a fairly attractive woman, and though she’s not very young, she looks different from those women there — some people have a taste for that kind.”

Zhù Ying raised an eyebrow — Huajie had never mentioned this to her! She said: “Many thanks for looking after her. I’ll go home and tell her, have her be more careful and bring someone along when she goes out.”

Old Mu said: “Some say you have a hard heart — and it really is hard. Others say you have a soft heart — and it really is soft. I still can’t figure out what kind of person you are.”

Zhù Ying said: “Am I not standing right here in front of you?”

The two chatted idly for a while. Zhù Ying left with Old Mu. Old Mu said: “Not going home?”

Zhù Ying said: “Who is Elder Sister treating? I want to have a look.”

Old Mu said: “You really do worry.”

Zhù Ying said: “Otherwise what’s there to do — I’d just be bored.”

Old Mu’s lodgings were not far from the back street of the pleasure quarter. A river ran between — a bridge on one side, and across was the pleasure quarter; on the other side of the bridge was the busy, motley crowd. Old Mu lived on the far side of the bridge. He led Zhù Ying across and pointed at a small courtyard: “That’s the one — a few private courtesans. A while back one of them was beaten, and they couldn’t get seen at the Wu establishment either, so they went to the Compassion Blessings Nunnery and asked for medicine.”

Zhù Ying asked: “If they were only asking for medicine, how did Elder Sister come over here?”

Old Mu said: “She’s already delivered medicine here twice herself. She really is a good person — actually making the trip herself.”

“Are there a lot of rough characters over here?”

Old Mu glanced at her: “I’ll have the young ones keep watch — there’s nothing else going on anyway. Hey — over at that young mistress’s place—” He pursed his lips. “Do you want to go say hello?”

Zhù Ying saw where he was pointing and realized it was Xiao Jiang’s house. Zhù Ying asked: “How is she doing these days?”

“Hmm — all right. Looks like she’s going straight. Usually doesn’t go out, one small dark girl running around doing everything. She also teaches a few songs on the pipa, and collects a little rent. She doesn’t chat with people either or flirt with them. Very good.”

Zhù Ying saw he had misread the situation and said: “It’s not what you’re thinking.”

Old Mu had already walked closer to Xiao Jiang’s house. Inside, the pipa had long since gone quiet. By this time the pleasure quarter was receiving guests, and Xiao Jiang’s place had fallen entirely silent — listening carefully, there was the faint sound of a wooden fish being struck. Zhù Ying said: “How is it that you’re here…” The sound of footsteps — Old Mu had already slipped away at a brisk pace.

Just as Zhù Ying stood there in amused exasperation, the door was pulled open and the small dark girl came out with a basin of water to throw outside. Zhù Ying pulled up her heel, the tip of her foot touching the ground lightly as she slid aside, one hand holding down her robe hem — just barely avoiding the basin. The little girl threw the water and it was too late to take it back — she knew she’d done something wrong, and let out a shriek; the basin also fell to the ground. Xiao Jiang’s voice came from inside: “Xiao Ya, what happened to you?”

Xiao Ya looked and saw it was Zhù Ying, and was even more startled: “Official, I didn’t mean to — I…”

Zhù Ying said: “Look — didn’t get a drop on me.”

Only then did Xiao Ya stop talking. Xiao Jiang had already come out carrying a stick, and seeing Zhù Ying she gently set it against the wall. She asked Zhù Ying: “Minor Official Zhù? Is something the matter? Another thief?”

Zhù Ying said: “Off duty and wandering around — cases have been thin lately and I’m afraid my skills will go rusty. Didn’t expect to end up here. I’m not disturbing you, am I?”

Xiao Jiang said: “I have nothing on — no disturbing or not disturbing. If you’d come a little earlier I could have invited you to sit down. By now you should be heading home — if you miss the curfew that’s trouble again.”

She was speaking more now, and more gently. Zhù Ying said: “Right — I’ll go. Is it still safe around here?”

Xiao Jiang said: “Same as it ever was. Under the Jingzhao Prefect’s governance — can’t get too disorderly. The pleasure quarter — can’t get too good either.”

Zhù Ying said: “Keep the door locked.”

Xiao Jiang didn’t know what else to say. She also had not talked like this with someone for a very long time. The ones who came to learn the pipa from her were all courtesans. Tell them to go straight? It wasn’t for them to decide on their own. Teach them how to receive guests? That disgusted her. She just taught a few songs on the pipa, and also taught Xiao Ya to recognize a few characters.

Not wanting to let the conversation end like this, but unable to find a topic — just as Zhù Ying was about to leave, from not far away came the sounds of hitting and shouting. Zhù Ying looked over. Xiao Jiang frowned: “Truly vile.”

Zhù Ying asked: “What is it?”

Xiao Jiang said coldly: “What else? A mother selling her own daughter. What is that if not vile? Dogs at least protect their pups. I’ve seen plenty of fathers selling daughters and brothers selling sisters. This one is different.”

Zhù Ying said: “How so?”

Xiao Jiang drew heavy breaths and said: “She herself is a lowly person. She managed to entrust her daughter to someone who would take the girl in and raise her as their own in spite of knowing she was a courtesan’s daughter. Raised her for fifteen years, and now that the girl has grown up beautifully — knows how to write and do accounts, is educated, can play musical instruments — the birth mother wants her back to register her as a courtesan. Who would let go of a child they’d raised for fifteen years? The old couple comes every day trying to block it. You didn’t see — even the hired men barely blocked those two old people.”

Zhù Ying said: “You go back home, close your door, and don’t come out. I’ll go take a look, and once I’ve looked I’ll leave. And don’t get yourself entangled in this either.”

“… Ah? Oh…”

Zhù Ying thought: this is truly uncanny — these past two days I keep running into things like this. First a husband selling a wife, then a birth mother harming a daughter. The person who shares her bed treats her worse than Huajie, a stranger; the foster parents cherish the daughter more than the birth mother does. Could this be a false mother?

She walked over and saw it was a private courtesan’s courtyard, a crowd of onlookers gathered around. A middle-aged couple who looked entirely out of place here stood holding their ground — their outer garments clean, the hems wet and smeared with filth halfway up, yet still standing firm. A woman in heavy makeup, robes half-open, was cursing: “Why don’t you get out! I gave birth to her — I can do as I like!”

A graceful young girl knelt on the ground, pleading: “I know needlework and various household tasks. I’m willing to support you. Why must you insist on this livelihood?”

Nearby, a few idle young nobles were goading them on, pointing and exclaiming: “This one really is from a proper household, hey… different from the ones raised here.”

Their words carrying more than a little appreciation.

The heavily made-up woman was growing even more self-satisfied and tried to drive the couple away: “How many good arrangements have you ruined for me? Today I am absolutely done letting you stay!”

Shoving broke out between them.

A few in the crowd who couldn’t stomach it said: “What kind of mother are you? Others wish their daughters could go straight, and you — could you be jealous that your daughter can live as a decent person?”

The made-up woman’s face could not hold up to this, and she spat: “Pah! Who are you to say anything…”

In the end there were more people who found her excessive. They pointed and muttered. The woman paid them no mind, letting her eyes scan around, and they landed on Zhù Ying: “This young official looks unfamiliar!”

Zhù Ying didn’t want to deal with her, but among the idle young nobles there was one who recognized her: “Oh! Minor Official Zhù.”

It was through no fault of her own — simply because she had grown close to Wang Yunhe, she was occasionally cited by certain people to teach their own children a lesson. This particular one…

Zhù Ying said calmly: “Eighth Young Master, your honorable father said you were at home studying. You’ve studied your way here? Tomorrow when I see him, I’ll have to ask about it.”

“You — don’t tell my father!”

Zhù Ying’s gaze swept deliberately over these young nobles one by one — some she recognized, some she didn’t. She said: “All of you disperse. Laughing at someone else’s family tragedy like this — you’ll catch a beating when you go home.”

Most of them were actually older than her, but their fathers were her colleagues, and the young nobles gave a collective shudder and genuinely scattered. Zhù Ying also stopped paying attention to the heavily made-up woman, but she thought: tonight passes — what about tomorrow?

…

Running into two such incidents in succession, Zhù Ying’s mood these days was not very good. At the Court she had to go on as if nothing bothered her and keep working through the miscellaneous affairs. The new people were gradually finding their footing; the Court stopped giving them as much training and just put them to work — learning by doing. Zhù Ying moved about the Court more smoothly than before. Quite a few people had been placed there through her effort; Zheng Xi found them useful, and she found them even more useful. Colleagues also owed her favors, and quite a few people needed her to facilitate things — her standing in the Court was actually even better than when she had been a Reviewer.

She had also accumulated more chips to trade with people. Old Huang himself was not up for promotion, but still had a son. Zhù Ying brokered a deal with the Court of the Imperial Stud — took on a request from them, arranged for Old Huang’s son to be posted there — and both sides were none the wiser, yet she had earned two favors.

After doing that, her mood still didn’t improve. She kept turning the young woman Fu’s case over in her mind — mainly afraid that the husband would try something else and bring trouble down on the nunnery and Huajie.

Back in the Court, there was someone in an even worse mood than her — Su Kuang.

Su Kuang had finally returned. He had been enormously busy of late — barely finishing being envious of Zhù Ying’s involvement in the Zhou You case before Zheng Xi assigned him a different task to go handle. He was the chief registrar, whose duties were not external assignment investigation — yet Zheng Xi assigned him anyway, and he went. When he came back hoping to report a success, he discovered that Zhù Ying had already transferred to the Adjudicator post!

Which meant that now, a good many matters were genuinely going to be in Zhù Ying’s hands. Su Kuang nearly coughed up blood on the spot!

He choked it down, reported to Zheng Xi. Zheng Xi said approvingly: “You did very well.”

Su Kuang’s spirits soared inwardly. He took his leave and came out — and they plummeted again. No promotion! No promotion at all! Which part of me is worse than Zhù San? Just what does Lord Zheng mean by “sitting it out”? He started to brood over it.

When Su Kuang was brooding, he tended to stop stepping on people. The Left Reviewer was astonished, and said quietly to Zhù Ying: “Something’s wrong — that centipede must be plotting something awful!”

Zhù Ying said: “Never mind him! What’s the point of just watching him?”

The Left Reviewer said: “I can’t afford not to guard against him — leave it to me, I’ll keep an eye on him!”

Zhù Ying rolled her eyes at him: “Think about yourself first!”

“Me?”

“You’re a Reviewer — wouldn’t you like to go out on an assignment if one comes along?” Zhù Ying rubbed her thumb and two fingers together meaningfully.

The Left Reviewer rubbed his hands and asked: “You can arrange it?”

Zhù Ying tilted her head. The Left Reviewer said: “Good friend!”

Zhù Ying said: “We’ll look carefully — let me show you a few options and you pick which one works. I’ll report it up, and the ones above will surely approve at least one.”

“Done! Really going out — I’ll bring you back local specialties when I return!”

Zhù Ying said her farewells to the Left Reviewer and stopped wandering about; she went home and read seriously. That day Huajie came home very late — so late that Zhù Ying thought it strange and was about to go out and meet her when Huajie came back with Du Elder Sister. Zhù Ying asked: “What happened?”

Huajie spat in disgust: “That man is truly not human! These past few days he hadn’t come, and I’d thought he’d come to his senses. Never expected — never expected — he went back and brought the son! Today, right outside the nunnery gate, he tied the son up and beat him! A child of three or four, beaten by his own father until he was rolling on the ground! The young woman Fu ran out — the wound on her head split open again.”

As she spoke, she became so distressed she crouched down and began to cry. Zhù Ying asked Du Elder Sister: “Was the person taken away?”

Du Elder Sister said angrily: “Not yet! That beast — truly not human! Everyone cursed him and blocked him, but it can only hold for a day or two. That child probably won’t last two days — the young woman would be compelled to follow him home in less than one day! And he even said — since his own mother doesn’t want him, why should he care?”

Zhù Ying’s face darkened. She crouched down and coaxed Huajie: “There’s a way. There’s always a way.”

Huajie raised her head and asked: “Is there? How?”

“Let me think.”

The simplest way — find two squads of constables and beat that wretch soundly! Guaranteed he wouldn’t dare cause trouble again. This option had one flaw — she herself would be soundly beaten by Wang Yunhe.

Second option — find Old Mu, have that wretch beaten until he was crippled. This option also had a flaw — Wang Yunhe would investigate it, and it could easily drag the young woman Fu and the others into the mess.

Zhù Ying wanted to find a method with no lasting consequences…

The next day, Zhù Ying came back from the Court of Judicial Review to find Huajie already home, her eyes red as if she had been crying, and she said: “The child was beaten so badly. The young woman Fu was going to agree to go back — seeing the child like that, the abbess said to treat the child first. That’s the only way they’ve been held off for now. That man is threatening — if the young woman Fu escapes, he’ll come after the nunnery for the person.”

Zhù Ying said: “I do have one method…”

While she was saying it, a commotion broke out outside the door. Zhù Ying said: “What’s going on?”

Du Elder Sister went to open the door. The moment the door was open, before she could even ask what was happening, someone grabbed her and yanked her out: “You little wretch — I knew you were hiding here!”

Zhù Ying and Huajie stared at each other. Zhù Ying put a hand out to stop Huajie and strode outside — but she was a step too slow. Zhù Da, who had no proper occupation and had been chatting idly with the neighbors all day, was wandering back home around dinnertime when he saw a crowd gathered at his own gate, and people were trying to grab “his servant.” Zhù Da was furious: “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?! Trying to take a person from someone else’s house?! She’s a person I paid to hire!!! Neighbors! Come help!!!”

This was a man who had made his living for years by shouting as a spirit-caster — lately well-fed and well-nourished, his voice carrying further than ever. The neighbors from left and right came out. Some had burly manservants, some grabbed sticks, some called for the neighborhood head. Quite a lot of excitement was added to the pre-dinner hour.

Zhù Ying stopped rushing outside and listened first as Zhang Xiangu came out to ask what was happening. It turned out it was Du Elder Sister’s uncle, come with her “husband” to find her. Du Elder Sister had previously gone out very little when she was at the nunnery, but recently, with the business about the young woman Fu drawing such attention, she had been seen accompanying Huajie. A well-meaning person had told her uncle, her uncle had found out the address, and here they were.

Du Elder Sister’s “husband” said: “I paid twelve strings of cash in betrothal gifts! For us country folk, that’s not easy money!”

Zhù Ying took one look at him: fully gray-haired, beard a tangled mess. He wasn’t just lame in one leg — when he opened his mouth he was also missing several teeth. And he was not just filthy; he was also ugly! Du Elder Sister was no great beauty, but she was clean and tidy. This was some kind of creature that had crawled out of a pig pen.

Du Elder Sister’s uncle said: “Madam, I don’t mean to make trouble — she truly is my niece! Her father and mother died, and I wanted to find her a home to settle into. Is that wrong?”

Zhang Xiangu was not going to swallow that line. Inside, Du Elder Sister was too tongue-tied to explain herself, and knelt before Zhù Ying. Zhang Xiangu spoke first from outside: “Are you eating a family’s entire estate and leaving nothing behind?! Didn’t you kill off her father and mother yourself — to take their land, and then sell her for a sum of cash! At least leave the girl some bones! Have you no shame? Don’t you fear going into the oil pot in the afterlife?”

Zhù Da’s feeling was: this person has been brought into his household as a servant, an outfit has already been made for her, and furniture built — she cannot be taken away by someone else! He also shouted: “You heartless creature! Finding her a place to settle — are you finding a husband for her or finding her an elderly father-in-law?! Figured she’d be widowed before long so you could sell her a second time?!”

The neighbors’ eyes went wide!

In ordinary times they might privately say that Little Zhù and Lady Zhū were a fine pair — handsome and educated both — while the old couple were somewhat coarse. But because the two old ones were entertaining to talk to, they mostly played along. Now they discovered that when these two actually spoke up, rough as they were, there was something else there alongside.

Inside, Zhù Ying sighed and said to Huajie: “Come with me — I have a method. We can only save Du Elder Sister first.”

The two went into the west wing, and emerged a moment later. Huajie was working hard to keep her face straight. Zhù Ying said: “Neighbors — thank you all for your sense of justice. Neighborhood head and neighborhood elder, we are sorry to impose. My household has suffered an unfortunate situation, and I can’t allow people to say I am wrongfully detaining someone’s niece and wife. I must make a trip to Wannian County to have this matter settled properly.”

Neighbors all said: “Yes!” Some also offered to go with her. Others said: “Can a matter cause a Court of Judicial Review official difficulty?” Zhù Ying extended a hand and pulled Du Elder Sister to her feet: “You come too.”

A crowd surged, taking the Du family along, and arrived at the Wannian County office.

The curfew was approaching. The Wannian County magistrate had already retreated to the inner quarters for dinner and now had to get dressed and come out again for this. From the other side Zhù Ying had already stated her official title and name. The Wannian County magistrate was a Senior Grade Six; Zhù Ying was Junior Grade Six — they were not far apart. He said amiably: “Since Adjudicator Zhù is an official, why come in person for such a matter?”

Zhù Ying said ruefully: “This junior has not long been in office. I’ve only just managed to get one female servant to attend to my mother and elder sister at home, and before I could even find a male servant, trouble arrived. “

Du Elder Sister’s uncle and the lame “husband,” seeing Zhù Ying speak cordially with the county magistrate, had already lost five parts of their courage. But twelve strings was every bit of empty savings and borrowed money — and he still needed a new wife to keep the household, have children, and serve him and clear his debts. He couldn’t just let it wash away. The uncle had already taken the lame man’s money and couldn’t hand nothing back in return. Both of them went down on their knees, trembling. One said: “My elder brother and sister-in-law died and I arranged a marriage for my niece — I was doing a good deed.”

The other said: “Alone all my life — I arranged for a wife to warm my bed, cook, and carry on the family line.”

The Wannian County magistrate was about to question Du Elder Sister further when she just kept kowtowing.

Zhù Ying said: “Ah — though her parents died, she hasn’t even reached the three-year mourning period yet. Going back and waiting another half year means the mourning period is done. Better to break ten temples than destroy one family. Whoever among you two pays off the debt she owes me shall take the person away.”

“Debt?” The county magistrate was also taken aback.

“One hundred strings of cash and two hundred and eighteen coppers.” Zhù Ying said without batting an eye and produced a piece of paper from her sleeve. Du Elder Sister’s uncle couldn’t see what was on it from where he was; Zhù Ying presented it to the Wannian County magistrate.

The magistrate opened it and saw a perfectly well-formed debt contract. The borrower was Du Eldest Niece — illiterate, indicated by fingerprint and joint mark. The lender was Zhù Ying, signed and sealed. The witness was Huajie, signed under the name Zhu Eldest Mistress.

Du Elder Sister quietly rubbed the red ink off her finger onto the side of her garment and looked at Zhù Ying with tears in her eyes. The county magistrate said: “Du Shi, come forward.” He had the fingerprint verified and the joint length measured. Of course they matched.

The county magistrate took that contract and said to the other two: “Which of you will pay one hundred strings of cash?”

One hundred strings!

Twenty strings was once enough for Zhang Xiangu to turn on her heel and walk away from a husband about to lose his head. Du Elder Sister’s uncle, though he had some modest property, couldn’t raise one hundred strings even selling everything! But he had already accepted twelve strings from the lame man — he had to make another attempt. He said: “My Lord — look at this girl. Does she look like someone who could borrow that much money? Who would lend her that much?!”

Zhù Ying said: “One hundred strings and two hundred and eighteen coppers — not a half-copper less! It’s debt, not a loan. My Lord — a slave woman costs seven strings, maybe ten strings at the expensive end. Buying a person is cheap; keeping a person is expensive! My elder sister treated her when we came across her with an illness while dispensing free medicine. We couldn’t leave her to die — so we treated her. The medicines were not excessive, just various odds and ends that came to nineteen strings, nine hundred and seven coppers. The physician’s fee — my elder sister isn’t some random wandering street doctor you can hire for anything, she was kind-hearted, so we counted a nominal ninety-three coppers and rounded to an even sum.

Her clothes — I made them, material and labor four hundred and twenty-seven coppers. Shoes — I bought them, two pairs, one hundred coppers. She is living in my home — can’t have her sleeping on the ground. Furniture — material and labor five strings and six hundred and ninety-one coppers. She eats my food — those months I’m not counting, taken as offset for her labor.

She broke a few things working — my father’s pot isn’t worth much, my mother’s new steaming pot isn’t worth much either, but a whole shelf of Elder Sister’s medicine bottles were broken. Together, rounding it to two strings. She didn’t know how to wash silk — couldn’t manage the work — and washed and ruined all the fine satin garments from the year-end festival gifts. With labor and materials reckoned together, calling it fifty strings is not unreasonable. Broken one ceramic piece and two jade pieces. These all fall to her to pay. Converted to value, forty-two strings. Add it all up: one hundred strings and two hundred and eighteen coppers.”

She rattled off that whole string of figures — with remainders. The county magistrate told the clerk to write it all down and calculate it. The clerk calculated: “It does add up correctly.”

The county magistrate asked Du Elder Sister’s uncle: “When did these men arrive?”

“Just… just now…”

The county magistrate now believed Zhù Ying’s account. He had initially suspected Zhù Ying — this was a common trick for seizing ordinary people’s property. Racking up “debt” through compound interest, or simply fabricating evidence. A slave woman worth a few strings of cash wasn’t worth Zhù Ying going to such trouble. And even if Zhù Ying hadn’t spent that much money on the girl, writing a false debt note was something done when the girl was first hired — it had nothing to do with these men showing up today. He also questioned Du Elder Sister, who only said: “Whatever Minor Official Zhù says, I accept.”

The county magistrate accepted Zhù Ying’s account and remembered something: “Her parents are barely cold in the ground and you want to marry her off already? Truly vile! The mourning period is not over — this marriage must be postponed until the mourning is concluded!” He demanded that the uncle and the lame man pay the money and take the person away. These two had no such money. The lame man collapsed on the floor and wailed pitifully. The county magistrate said sharply: “Order in the court!”

He wrote his judgment at once: the uncle was to return the money to the lame man; at this the lame man stopped crying. He also ordered the uncle to pay the money to Zhù Ying and then take the person away.

Zhù Ying said: “Wait — I haven’t added the interest yet.”

Those who charged interest did compound interest — even at non-usurious rates it was enough to buckle your knees. How many poor families lost their estates because of a debt that sat two or three years. The uncle’s face went green and he waved his hands frantically: “I don’t want the person.”

Zhù Ying laughed: “Now that the interest has compounded, I could buy twenty women like her! Not short of help anymore.”

The uncle shuddered. The county magistrate said helplessly: “Adjudicator Zhù.” Zhù Ying smiled: “In that case — have him sign a guarantee that if anyone in his entire family — down to a single dog — dares come within ten li of my house, all their legs — humans and dogs alike — will be broken.”

The county magistrate outranked Zhù Ying, but she was with the Court of Judicial Review — a case might come up for review tomorrow that would land in her hands. He was willing to give her this face, and he also understood these men — if aroused to anger, it wasn’t the money they cared about, just the dignity of the matter, and they’d keep the woman at whatever cost. Whereas Zhù Ying’s evidence was complete and sound. If Zhù Ying demanded that Wannian County help pursue a one-hundred-string debt, Wannian County would have a headache. Better to drive the country men off and let Zhù Ying take her servant home — save Wannian County the trouble.

It was a minor case; the county magistrate settled it at once.

Du Elder Sister kowtowed without stopping. Zhù Ying quickly pulled her up: “Go back and face Elder Sister’s punishment!”

This woman had an expression that screamed “escaped from death” — what if the Wannian County magistrate noticed something was off?

The county magistrate brought down the gavel and declared the session closed.

Zhù Ying cupped her hands to the neighbors: “Many thanks to all of you for upholding justice.” The neighbors all said: “Not at all!” Inside they thought: we always felt Sanlang was quiet and unassuming — turns out she’s a fierce one!

…

The family of five returned home. Du Elder Sister kowtowed properly to Zhù Ying — even selling herself into permanent servitude she would have accepted this. Better a lifetime serving the Zhù household than falling into the uncle’s hands.

Zhù Ying handed her the debt contract: “Take it and do with it as you please.”

Du Elder Sister was stunned.

Zhù Ying said: “Let’s eat — and there’s something more to attend to afterward.”

Huajie said: “Right, right — there’s also reading to do.”

Zhù Ying smiled.

Du Elder Sister tucked the contract away: “I’ll go light the fire.”

After dinner Du Elder Sister washed the dishes, and Huajie brought her needlework to the west wing. Zhù Ying was writing something; Huajie waited until she finished a small slip of paper before saying: “That debt contract…”

The debt contract had been written in the time between the noise from outside and when Zhù Ying pulled Huajie into the west wing. Huajie had also signed it as witness. Du Elder Sister’s joint marks were pressed by Zhù Ying while pretending to pull her to her feet.

Zhù Ying said: “Even given to Lord Wang — he can’t say it’s false! He is the most particular about evidence. With solid evidence, he has nothing to say.”

Huajie said: “Mischief. A small case like this won’t make it to his desk.”

Zhù Ying said: “He’ll see it. As long as the evidence is solid, he has nothing to say.”

“What were you writing just now?”

Zhù Ying said: “I’m not telling you.”

“Then don’t tell me. This trick of yours — can it work for the young woman Fu?”

Zhù Ying said: “That would be openly provocative, wouldn’t it? First she owes me money, second she owes me money, third she still owes me money — even a fool at Wannian County could see through it. Besides, I don’t have that much money.”

Huajie said: “True — and if someone with ill intentions heard about it, they’d make trouble for you.”

Zhù Ying — Junior Grade Six, ancestors going back three generations all penniless — where would all this money that people were supposedly owing her come from?

“The young woman Fu—” Zhù Ying said, “—don’t worry about it. I’ll think of something. I’m going out for a while tonight — don’t ask.”

“All right, all right. Little Zhù — don’t do anything wrong for my sake just because I let my feelings get the better of me.”

Zhù Ying smiled: “Anything I do — how could it go wrong?”

When Zhù Da and Zhang Xiangu had gone to bed, Zhù Ying quietly slipped out the door and went all the way to the Compassion Blessings Nunnery, lightly climbed over the surrounding wall, and felt her way to the room where the young woman Fu was staying. She could read, couldn’t she?

She placed a small slip of paper on the pillow beside the young woman Fu, then flicked a small pebble to wake her. Making sure the young woman Fu had seen the paper, she left, and made her way to the back street of the pleasure quarter.

The pleasure quarter was in full swing. Zhù Ying didn’t go close, but watched from a distance as an elderly couple stood determinedly and helplessly outside a small courtyard. She loaded a rolled-up paper ball into a sling-shot, confirmed they had read its contents and were looking around searching for someone. Zhù Ying slipped quietly home, washed up, and went to sleep.