“Oh — YES — it — WORKED!”

“Hahaha! It — WORKED!”

The great advantage of having two shamans living at home was that you would never be short of song and dance to watch. Even if their songs were always one tune, and their dances always the same two moves.

Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Da had spent the past half-month sick with worry over their daughter’s first-ever memorial, eating and sleeping badly. When they heard it had actually gone through, the two of them were instantly so overjoyed it was as if a thousand-jin stone had been lifted from their bodies, and they floated into elation. The two of them stood facing each other in the middle of the courtyard, clapping their hands, doing their shaman-and-shamaness dance steps — when palms clapped to the left, one raised the right knee and bent the leg; when palms clapped to the right, one raised the left knee and bent the leg — spinning in circles.

Zhù Ying had just come home and ran into Zhang Xiangu at the door — Zhang Xiangu, who every day without fail greeted her with: “How did it go?” She had just managed to say that it had gone through when Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Da rushed into the courtyard and started dancing. Zhù Ying had no choice but to turn and bolt the gate shut, to avoid startling the neighbors as they walked past. She stood in the doorway room herself, watching these two with helpless resignation.

Well — the Zhù family had already thoroughly exhausted their dignity throughout half the ward. Let them be happy. Though they had moved into the city, neither of them had managed to shed the habit of speaking at full volume. As they grew older their hearing worsened, making it all the harder to ask them to lower their voices. Zhang Xiangu could speak softly when sharing a secret, but she never spared an ounce of energy when scolding her husband. Zhù Da never breathed a word about his daughter’s sex, and when complaining about his wife, his voice was full and strong.

Both of them were quite convinced they were already being very mindful of their status as “an official’s parents” — because they were “speaking behind closed doors.”

On a day like today, the neighbors on both sides heard everything, and could only share a private laugh and treat it as material for conversation later: “The Zhù household is always so lively — it’s quite something for Little Magistrate Zhù to put up with.”

Huajie had been following this matter closely. She was more methodical in gathering news than Zhang Xiangu and her husband, and had known slightly earlier. But only when Zhù Ying came home and said it herself did Huajie dare believe it had truly succeeded. Overjoyed, she walked to the doorway room and said to Zhù Ying: “Let’s celebrate tonight! Du Dajie, come here. Here’s one string of cash — take it to Widow Wei’s shop and get a five-jin jar of plain liquor, then buy a plump chicken, a large fish, two jin of braised meat, a plump duck — and see if there are any fresh fruits to buy as well.”

Du Dajie said: “That won’t come to a whole string of cash.”

Huajie said: “Then use your judgment!”

Zhù Ying said: “What a generous patron!”

Huajie said with mock reproach: “What patron? Just a broken-down herb doctor.”

Du Dajie felt a little wave of emotion pass through her. She had been with the Zhù household for some time now and knew what Zhù Ying had been working toward. She had not expected Zhù Ying to actually see it through. She took a basket and put the money inside. She glanced at Huajie with a faint worry: I remember that day on the bridge, Sanlang was listening to something that white-clothed young lady said in anger…

Huajie asked: “What is it? Any leftover money, you can bring it back. And get a couple of sweets you like for yourself too.”

Du Dajie hurried out with the basket, saying: “I wasn’t asking for treats…”

Huajie and Zhù Ying exchanged a glance, both mystified at what had come over her. Huajie pushed Zhù Ying: “Go change out of your clothes quickly. Tonight we won’t cook either — we’ll just eat what’s already made.”

Widow Wei’s shop was right there inside the ward and always did brisk business. She had good liquor, and every day she received batches of prepared dishes ordered from outside to sell in portions — only chicken and duck she made herself, and they were braised to exceptional fragrance with none of the gamey smell. It was said Widow Wei had been a cook in a great household when she was young, and had saved enough to open her own small shop. Her daughter had taken over the business.

Before long, Du Dajie returned with a basket full of things and said: “All dry dishes — I should cook up a soup. I bought a bottle gourd.” Soup she could manage, and if worst came to worst she could ask Huajie or Zhù Ying to step in at the end to season it.

Huajie smiled: “Good.”

A little later, Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Da’s excitement wore off. Seeing Huajie watching them, both felt a bit sheepish and quieted their hands. Zhang Xiangu said to Zhù Ying: “And you just stood there watching your father act up?” Zhù Da said: “What do you mean, ‘acting up’? You were also—”

The two of them bickered on. Zhù Ying rolled up her sleeves and said: “Tonight Dajie is hosting — let me go cut the gourd. Once the soup is ready, we eat.”

Du Dajie quickly said: “You all eat first. Tonight there’s wine, so the soup is best saved for last — drink it hot at the end to settle the alcohol. I’ll mind the stove.”

Zhù Ying said: “All right.” She still went ahead and sliced the gourd so Du Dajie could simply put it in the pot later. Huajie followed and took a small dish, portioning out the right amounts of each seasoning: “In a little while add two ladles of water and cook it through, then put all this in at the end and you’re done.”

Then Huajie and Zhang Xiangu together arranged the table in the main room. With that one string of cash, in addition to what Huajie had named, Du Dajie had also bought six varieties of dried sweets and four types of dried fruit, and returned the remaining change to Huajie. The whole family sat around the table. Zhang Xiangu said: “Du Dajie, stop fussing — come and eat first.”

Du Dajie took two bowls — one with rice, one with a portion of meat — along with a little salted vegetable, and went to eat in her room. Zhang Xiangu pulled off a duck leg and brought it in to her, then came back and sat down to pour the wine in peace.

Zhang Xiangu had been deeply anxious these past weeks and said: “Tonight I can finally sleep soundly.”

Zhù Ying said: “Yes. Oh — there may be people coming to ask for favors…”

Zhang Xiangu said: “No gift will be accepted! The best thing for this family is to stay peaceful and quiet!”

Huajie smiled: “And it will mean no one can ever use it as a grip to hold over Zhù Ying later.”

Zhù Da said: “Drink!”

The family ate happily together. During the meal, they talked about how Wang Yunhe seemed to have submitted a memorial of his own. Zhù Da said with some pride: “Our Ying got there ahead of him!” Zhang Xiangu was pleased too: “No wonder the two of you are often together — it turns out you think alike.” Zhù Ying said: “He handles things far more neatly than I do!”

Wang Yunhe’s memorial had been deliberate, precise, and forceful. Once that made it into the ritual registers, it was settled for good. Even with people opposing it at court, Wang Yunhe had too many supporters — students like Xian Jing who had been sent to outside postings, colleagues and old friends in the capital and the city, and those who simply admired him, would all think carefully.

Zhù Ying and Huajie clinked their cups. She said: “Now that my memorial has been approved, I have to step up the pace.”

Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Da both felt a flash of competitive spirit toward Wang Yunhe and said: “Then work hard!” And then immediately grew anxious again: “Still, steady is better. There’s no shame in not going as fast as Prefect Wang. As long as you’re safe — that’s what matters.”

Zhù Ying said: “I know what I’m doing.”

Zhù Da brightened up again, filled his own cup, and topped up his daughter’s: “Come — drink! At home you can drink freely!”

By the time they were pleasantly tipsy, Du Dajie had finished the bottle gourd soup and brought it out. Everyone drank a warm bowl. Du Dajie said: “The hot water is ready too.” Zhù Da and Zhang Xiangu went first to wash up and sleep. Zhù Da was too lazy to wash his feet, and Zhang Xiangu took him by the ear and scolded him. The neighbors on both sides duly learned that he disliked washing his feet.

……

Huajie was genuinely happy today. When Du Dajie brought her hot water she said: “Mistress, Sanlang has done something significant — that’s good. But…”

“What?” The mild warmth of the wine left Huajie.

Du Dajie hesitated before reminding her: “That white-clad young lady said she couldn’t become an official herself. Sanlang went and did all this — and the way she looked at you wasn’t kind either.”

Huajie relaxed: “You don’t know — you don’t know. Haha — Sanlang was originally… never mind. It’s fine. Go rest.”

Du Dajie went out, washed the dishes, put the kitchen in order, then went back to the west gatehouse to bed, thinking: what is really going on here?

Huajie found herself wanting to laugh at what Du Dajie had said. Riding a slight wave of wine, she felt light on her feet and knocked on Zhù Ying’s door: “Zhù Ying — are you asleep?”

Zhù Ying opened the door: “What is it?”

Huajie saw that light was coming through from the north room and asked: “Still reading?”

“Just flipping through things. Writing a little. What is it?”

Huajie said: “I wanted to come see you.”

“Then come in.”

Huajie laughed a couple of times and asked: “So this is really settled now?”

“Not until a person has actually entered the Court of Judicial Review, properly done their work, received their salary, and no one has come to reverse it — only then will it count as half-done.” Zhù Ying said calmly. “Even once they’re in, it’s not necessarily irreversible. Removing someone from most positions is a thousand times harder — but telling them to dismiss these women, almost no one would loudly object. At the moment I still have to keep an eye on things. Think about it — the reason this addition could be made is precisely because it’s inconsequential. And if it’s inconsequential, removing it again wouldn’t count for much either.”

Huajie’s joy faded, but she felt no real worry. She said: “Don’t exhaust yourself over this. Whether it succeeds or not doesn’t depend on one moment or one thing. As long as you are here, it is already very good. Besides, everything you’ve said makes sense — otherwise Prefect Wang would not have followed your lead. Anyone with a conscience will say you’ve done well, and they’ll follow suit. It will happen.”

Zhù Ying said: “I know.”

Huajie said: “Then I’ll go back. Get some rest soon.”

Zhù Ying said: “All right.”

Huajie did not ask her about Fu Xiaoniangzi — the notices had already been posted, and Fu Xiaoniangzi could follow the requirements and try. And there were Wang Yunhe’s positions, and those at the Prefecture and its subordinate counties to consider. Huajie made up her mind: if Fu Xiaoniangzi needed a book, she would help with that. Leaking the questions — that was absolutely out of the question.

Zhù Ying had no idea Huajie had been asked a favor by Fu Xiaoniangzi. She focused entirely on the tasks at hand. Not only did she need to select the right people — she also needed to manage the relationships within the Court of Judicial Review carefully. The good news was that the women’s ward currently held no female prisoners, so there was no rush to execute. She returned to the north room and picked up her brush again, beginning to write out in careful detail the requirements for the prison guard positions.

These conditions would not be published openly — they would exist only in her own mind.

They had to be good-looking.

Zhù Ying did not have any particular preferences about appearance — an unattractive face did not make someone bad at heart. But this court cared about appearances. Throughout history, selecting officials had always been a matter of looks. The ugly ones who made it to official rank either had a good father or a good mother, and only after that were they recognized for their talent.

For this first batch, she needed to present people who looked neat and presentable. Set them in front of everyone, and the sight had to be pleasing and comfortable — that was the only way. And there needed to be genuine ability as well. But she thought that many women would likely apply for the guard positions, since the requirements were not very strict about background. That would give her a large pool to choose from, which meant she could demand ability.

She thought for a moment and crossed out the “good-looking” requirement, replacing it with “dignified appearance, strong and capable.” She wanted everyone to be roughly the same height, so they would look uniform in their uniforms. Clean and well-groomed as well. As for height — about as tall as Zhang Xiangu would do, with a little over an inch of variance in either direction being acceptable.

From her observation of women in the capital, very tall ones were not common, and some were rather on the shorter side.

Then physical strength.

Must be able to carry fifty jin of weight for one thousand steps. Must be able to run — at least five li without collapsing. Must be able to throw a half-jin sandbag thirty steps. Bearing must also be noted — must look like someone capable of getting things done.

Must not be too dim.

Must be literate and aware of worldly matters. For women from the capital, at minimum they must be able to name several major streets and alleyways, and know the locations of various shops and establishments. Memory would also be tested — she planned to prepare several short story passages to test quick-recall ability.

Must be able to tolerate verbal abuse — foul, vile, anything — without being provoked into anger or reduced to tears. Zhù Ying underlined this requirement heavily. It was easy to anticipate that they would face no shortage of difficulties. The ability to take insults was essential.

Must have courage. Must not go weak at the knees in a dark room, or scream at the sight of a mouse. Zhù Ying vowed that anyone who did would be sent packing.

Married or not — no particular preference, as long as the work at the Court of Judicial Review could be done well.

Having written all this, Zhù Ying still felt uncertain — she had no idea how many people would meet her requirements in the end. If too few qualified, she would simply have to take what she could get and train them strictly.

Then came the regulations. Beyond the standard rules for Court guards, Zhù Ying also needed to set additional rules specifically for the female guards. For example: leave could not exceed a certain number of days. No wandering about. No smuggling in items. And so on. In addition, apart from lip balm, face cream, and medicines for skin conditions to guard against cold and chapping, no cosmetics were permitted — no penciling of eyebrows, no rouge and powder.

Any matter must be reported in advance and could not be raised at the last moment. No private meetings alone with any male person within the palace precinct — if anyone were to pin something on them at that point, everyone would get dragged down together, and there would be no arguing one’s way out. Including herself — she would not be alone with any of these women either. In principle, the female warden managed the female guards; she herself was only responsible for setting the rules and issuing orders.

She knew that refined men sometimes used face powder and wore flowers in their hair these days, but she was recruiting these women for the Court’s purposes. The moment they started grooming themselves, there would inevitably be far more trouble, and things would go wrong. Rumor could kill.

In short: work. Work. Work. Anyone who did not work could get out.

For the prison wardens, appearance mattered somewhat less. After Director Yin had layered on so many restrictions, how many would even come to apply was an open question — they would have to make do with whoever came. She would sort that out when the time came.

Finally, she hesitated and wrote down “female coroner.” The coroner’s profession was one that even ordinary men avoided, and women willing to do it were even rarer. In truth, what she had initially wanted to propose — even before any of this — was “female coroners.” The justification was the most compelling of all. But thinking about all the additional restrictions, and the fact that coroners needed to be trained from scratch and would not be useful right away — and if another year or two passed and there was some change in circumstances, the whole thing could collapse — she had put it aside. Never mind. When selecting guards, she would observe them. If any were suitable, she could think of a way. Or she could draw from the guards once she had bold candidates among them — try it out first. Now that guards and wardens had already been brought in, adding female coroners would be a natural next step.

Having written it all out, Zhù Ying read through it once more carefully, then held the sheet of paper to a flame and burned it.

……

The next day, Zhù Ying arrived at the Court of Judicial Review, where the senior investigator and others had already given their congratulations once and were now asking: “So — how is this going to work?!”

Zhù Ying said: “Of course with Director Yin from the Ministry of Personnel — the official notices have already gone out. When the time comes, we follow the process step by step. That’s all there is to it.”

The senior investigator noticed that her face showed not a trace of self-satisfaction and said: “Zhù Ying — you can really keep your cool.”

Zhù Ying said: “What’s there to do? A memorial goes up, and you think you can stop eating, stop working? You still have to eat, and you still have to do your job.”

The senior investigator was inwardly impressed, and stepped away to attend to his own work. Zhù Ying said: “Wait a moment.” And handed him a sheaf of documents.

The senior investigator said: “Oh? What’s this?”

“Your assignment. The travel documents are on top. Case files below it. Pick two people and get moving.”

The senior investigator broke into a grin: “Ready!”

Zhù Ying went back to handling miscellaneous affairs. Her tasks were cleared each day without backlog, and even the days of arguing with directors from other ministries had not caused any pileup — everything was quickly done. Hu Lian said: “Well done, Zhù Ying.”

Zhù Ying said: “Don’t flatter me. Now I know — submitting a memorial is a much bigger ordeal than I thought. Watching other people submit memorials made it look effortless, but when you’re the one doing it you realize how much trouble is involved. Those senior officials, after submitting their memorials — do they argue like this too? How do they still get any work done?”

Hu Lian gave a knowing grin, pointed first at Zhù Ying and then at himself: “They have us!”

Zhù Ying thought about it — that was true enough. While Zheng Xi was out battling other great figures, they were inside working themselves ragged.

Hu Lian asked: “Have you thought through how you’re going to do this?”

Zhù Ying said: “First establish some rules.”

“Oh?”

“I need to go down to the prison. Last time, because the matter wasn’t settled yet, I didn’t go speak to them directly — I only told Old Huang when he asked, knowing he’d pass the word on. Now that it’s settled, I need to go over and say a few words, and reassure them.”

Hu Lian smiled: “Then I don’t need to worry.”

Zhù Ying brought two clerks with her — one was Old Guan, the other was Young Tao. The three of them went down to the Court of Judicial Review’s prison together. The prison’s warden and guards had received her notice the day before, and whether they were on duty or off-duty, all of them came. When word came that she had arrived, they all came out to meet her and showed her to the main seat above.

Zhù Ying said: “No need for formalities. It’s not like it’s my first time here — we all know each other, don’t we?”

Everyone gave a brief laugh.

Zhù Ying said: “I’ve been a bit busy lately and haven’t been able to come by. The weather is starting to cool — are you all getting along all right down here?”

They all said: “Fine, fine.” A quick-witted one added: “You look after us so well — everything’s been replaced with new things, and there’s hot soup to drink. Very good, very good.”

Zhù Ying said: “What’s all this formality with me? You all know what I’ve been busy with these past days. I had planned to come and speak once everything was settled, but I didn’t expect it to drag on this long. Now that it’s settled, I came right away to say a few things. Two things for you — first, the current wardens and guards are not being cut!”

The moment those words landed, everyone brightened with relief. Zhù Ying waited for them to quiet down, then said: “Here is the second thing — whoever is selected, whatever sort of woman she is, you are not to bully or harass her.”

“Rest assured, with one word from you, who would dare act blindly?”

Zhù Ying let her gaze pass over every face until she could feel them growing uneasy, then said: “I do not want any unseemly incidents in the Court of Judicial Review’s prison. Once they arrive, the women’s ward will no longer need managing by you. You will only be responsible for the men’s ward. If there is any matter in the women’s ward, I will settle accounts with them directly. From now on, each party manages their own affairs and has no business with the other. The rules will come down from above in due course.”

The wardens and guards all agreed.

Someone asked: “Little Magistrate Zhù, when will the new arrivals be coming?”

Zhù Ying said: “Not so soon. There still needs to be a selection process. If any of you have suitable women in your families, they may also apply. Just one rule — even if they are husband and wife, within this place there is to be no whispering between you. You are colleagues and nothing more. If you want to be affectionate, go home for that!”

Everyone roared with laughter: “Understood!”

They were genuinely tempted. The Court of Judicial Review that Zhù Ying managed — comfortable! If the family could spare one person, they genuinely wanted to come and earn this salary. There was even a decent lunch every day. The Court’s additional subsidies were also considerable. And the women’s ward would truly be light work — female criminals were rare to begin with. The ward itself was smaller than the men’s section, and even if you cleaned it yourself it wasn’t strenuous.

It really was, as Zhù Ying had said, “not more taxing than waiting on a husband at home.”

Having reassured the wardens and guards, Zhù Ying then gathered the Court’s clerks in groups as well, and laid out the rules in advance: “They manage the women’s ward — no wandering into that area, and you are not to disturb them. Each party manages their own affairs. No being alone in a room together. If there is ever something that needs to be discussed, the doors and windows must be open. No spreading gossip and rumors. If they do you wrong, come and tell me. The Court of Judicial Review may not have much, but we can still find a couple of people capable of judging a case.”

Some who had been listening with displeasure couldn’t help but laugh at this last part. Someone said: “Little Magistrate Zhù’s ability to adjudicate a case — we have full confidence in that.”

Zhù Ying added the same line as before: “If any of you have suitable women in your families, they may also come and apply!”

Having dealt with all of this, Zheng Xi had returned from court. Zhù Ying went with a stack of documents to see Zheng Xi.

Zheng Xi reviewed several files first — items like the senior investigator’s field assignment — and at the end came to the procedure Zhù Ying had drafted. He said: “Not bad. When are you planning to select the guards?”

“After the autumn harvest. Let the word spread first, so interested people can learn about it. After the harvest the timing is just right — not too cold, not too hot, and it won’t interfere with farm work and give people an excuse to grumble. Select the guards first to sort out the prison cells, establish a schedule, and teach them the regulations. The warden is, after all, an official — and Director Yin made a fair point. Leave that for winter. After that, when a vacancy opens, select in spring — warmer weather.”

Zheng Xi said: “Good. The separation of men and women — if word got out of any impropriety between male and female colleagues at the Court of Judicial Review, it would certainly be used against us.”

Zhù Ying said: “Even if everyone were men, stories about deviant behavior could still be fabricated — nothing is impossible to invent. The reason we need to be especially careful here is simply that this is a novelty, and people are watching more closely. That’s all.”

Zheng Xi said: “Then go ahead and make the arrangements.”

“Yes.”

……——

Recruitment was like procurement — the first thing to deal with was people lobbying on behalf of candidates. She had previously managed promotions and new hires among the Court’s clerks and had encountered this before; she handled it without much difficulty. Whether Zhang Xiangu, Zhù Da, or Huajie — none of them would accept a single coin, no matter how much silver was offered. This saved Zhù Ying an enormous amount of trouble.

Her rear guard, though the elders outranked her in seniority, were thoroughly reliable when properly instructed. They would never give cause for concern on this front.

In her own heart, Zhù Ying very much wanted Coroner Tian’s daughter — but Coroner Tian was a coroner, and his daughter was desperately timid, fainting at the sight of blood. Even if Zhù Ying tried to pull strings to get her in, the girl would thrash her way back out. A lost cause.

As for the daughter of a trusted servant at Zheng Xi’s household — that family simply had no interest in the guard position.

She also asked Du Dajie whether she would like to earn this salary, saying she would hire a different servant for the household.

But Du Dajie hesitated a moment, and then to Zhù Ying’s surprise said: “I’d rather stay here helping the Madam with housework and going out with the Mistress.”

She had done her own accounting. The guard position did pay more, and the work might even be lighter, but she could not manage it. If she became a guard, she would have to move out of the Zhù household? That meant money for renting a room, money for food and clothing — and on top of that, living under the protection of an official, she was safe. If she went out on her own, her uncle and cousins would not simply eat her alive?

Zhù Ying met with two setbacks in a row and felt thoroughly frustrated.

Beyond these cases, there were genuinely some women planning to apply. They were quietly asking around — what were the requirements, how did the selection work? Someone pointed out that parental or spousal consent was required, and this was actually not too much of an obstacle. Then there were some orphaned young women who were thinking of asking a ward head to stand as guarantor, and coming to apply — these were actually stronger candidates than most, since the requirements for guard background were not strict. That very fact was one reason many families were willing to let their women apply.

Then there was also a group of people thinking: “Prefect Wang has also submitted a memorial calling for the same in the Prefecture of the Capital — let me first try at the Court of Judicial Review. If I’m selected, wonderful; if not, I’ll have learned what it involves and can try again when Prefect Wang posts his notice. And outside the Prefecture there are still Wannian County and Chang’an County…”

Not a single one of them was any less sharp than the others.

Before long, it had the look of a fierce competition.

And the one who had stirred all of this up was, on a certain day, making her way to the Prefecture of the Capital to request a meeting with Wang Yunhe.

……

When the people at the Prefecture of the Capital saw Zhù Ying again, they greeted her with the warmth they now reserved for her. They found her more and more agreeable the better they knew her.

Wang Yunhe, hearing that Zhù Ying had come to call, immediately said: “Show her in quickly.”

Zhù Ying began to bow to Wang Yunhe, but Wang Yunhe warmly took her hand and brought her into the study: “Zhù Ying — I was just about to come find you!”

Zhù Ying said: “Do you have instructions for me?”

“Oh, come now — you’re an official yourself. What do you mean, ‘instructions’?” Wang Yunhe was extremely satisfied with Zhù Ying’s progress and had come to regard her as someone traveling the same road. He said: “You thought of something I hadn’t! On this matter, I should call you my teacher.”

Zhù Ying quickly said she would not dare accept the title. And she did not bring up Wang Yunhe’s previous remarks about how the crowing of hens at dawn was not a good omen.

Wang Yunhe asked: “What brings you here today?”

Zhù Ying said: “The Court of Judicial Review needs to select female prison guards, and from what I can tell, this will be even more complicated and delicate than selecting male ones. So I was hoping to borrow a venue from you…”

Wang Yunhe had her sit down and called for tea: “Tell me in detail.”

“After the autumn harvest, on a chosen day, I’ll invite a few colleagues to come with me, bring some writing clerks to set up a table, verify the identities of those who come, and let them in. Then we run a few tests. First running, then carrying weight. Those who pass the physical requirements move on, and we test some basic literacy. The warden exam, worked out with the Ministry of Personnel, would need a different location — fewer people, just grade the papers and we’re done.”

Wang Yunhe said: “Is there anything else you need? Just use the Prefecture then! But… the Ministry of Rites may want to be involved in the exam.”

Zhù Ying smiled: “Are they going to award anyone a top scholar ranking? You’re right to think of it — I’ll send an official notice to the Ministry of Rites and invite them to be present.”

Wang Yunhe nodded: “Besides physical strength, written tests, and identity verification, do you have any other thoughts? Oh — the Prefecture also wants to select some women as guards for the female ward. You were the one who first proposed this, so you’ve likely thought about it more carefully than I have. It’s I who am asking your guidance.”

“I wouldn’t dare.” Zhù Ying was suitably modest, then said what she had in mind and what rules she had set at the Court of Judicial Review.

Wang Yunhe said: “That’s good — this was your original intention.”

The two of them talked it through in more detail. Zhù Ying also asked Wang Yunhe for advice on drafting the examination questions. Wang Yunhe said: “For the warden’s exam, you can model it on the exam you yourself took, but somewhat easier. For the guards, they need to be able to read some basic official documents. The written quality of the guards’ answers doesn’t matter much — as long as they can read clearly.”

He had no intention of making the women’s ward select a top scholar. But since they were now establishing a formal quota, there needed to be a way to prevent corruption among those running the selection. “Since it comes with an income, there must be a standard — when doing an audit later, what counts as qualified, and what doesn’t? A clear definition is needed first. Either they can recognize a certain number of characters, or… wait, let me get Liu Songnian to write several short, clear official documents. Even if someone only learns these passages for the examination, they’ll at least learn every character in them.”

“One document using as many non-repeating characters as possible?”

Wang Yunhe smiled and nodded: “Exactly.”

Zhù Ying said: “On the day of the examination, I also want to invite a few doctors to take pulses — I don’t want to end up recruiting a sickly invalid who can’t do the work and is just looking for a place to retire on. My older sister also studies medicine and often goes to Cihui Nunnery. At examination time when hands are short, I could invite the nuns there to help for a couple of days. Your Lordship knows her.”

“Oh?! It’s her?”

Zhù Ying said: “Yes.”

She made a good effort to recommend Huajie, and left the address of her own home with Wang Yunhe, telling him: “I would not presume to claim her medical skills are exceptional, but her care for patients is exceptional. When I once asked about her plans, she said she wanted to study medicine, especially gynecology — because women with gynecological ailments are too ashamed to seek care. A male doctor, however skilled, cannot have an intimate conversation with the patient, who cannot look him directly in the face, let alone be examined on her body…”

Before she could finish, Wang Yunhe said: “What a broad-hearted person she is! What a wonderful thought!”

Zhù Ying said: “So if there are any unwell members of the household, do not hesitate.”

Wang Yunhe said: “Oh, absolutely — certainly! I wouldn’t have thought of that without your prompting. Very good, very good. We’ll be sure to trouble you in the future.”

Zhù Ying said with genuine pleasure: “When I go back and tell her, she’ll be delighted! The seasons are changing — do keep an eye on the household’s health.”

Wang Yunhe said: “Of course.”

Zhù Ying then took the opportunity to ask his guidance on another matter — requesting honorary titles for her parents.

Her rank was now sufficient to request a corresponding title for her birth mother. But her family had not had anyone serve as an official for eight generations — she hadn’t known about this at all before! When Jin Daniangzi had explained “the life of an official” to her, she hadn’t mentioned it either, since Jin Liang’s own mother had died early, and the honorary title had gone directly to Jin Daniangzi. Zhang Xiangu and Zhù Da had been too busy worrying about their daughter’s secret to think about their own entitlements.

Wang Yunhe said: “You must submit a memorial requesting it yourself. For a woman, titles follow husband and son. As for your father… all that can be done is a honorary court rank, or bestowing him with a status. The elder of an official household.” Under this arrangement, Zhù Da was too old for certain privileges — he would likely only receive some consolation gifts at major festivals, with no regular salary. Zhang Xiangu, however, would genuinely benefit by having a child in office — whatever rank Zhù Ying held, she would share.

Zhù Ying beamed: “That’s wonderful!”

Wang Yunhe, seeing her genuine delight, was happy for her as well. He said: “The examination is still some time away. You can first submit the memorial for the titles. Let me know three days before the examination — I also want to observe. I’ll arrange a separate, quiet room for your older sister — she should not have to squeeze in with everyone else outside.”

“Thank you.”

Wang Yunhe then inquired what else Huajie was skilled in beyond gynecology, and Zhù Ying answered: “She also treats injuries. The nunnery often shelters women who have been beaten and have fled.”

Wang Yunhe gave another long sigh: “The moral instruction of the Prefecture of the Capital is still insufficient!”

……——

The Huajie who had been so enthusiastically recommended was at that moment once again delivering medicine on the back alley of Flower Street.

Du Dajie tried to dissuade her: “It’s rough here — you shouldn’t keep coming.”

Huajie was in good spirits and said: “One always has to be doing something! Deep within a grand residence, things can be just as rough. Zhù Ying has done so many things — I should do something too.”

After delivering the medicine and coming out, she unexpectedly ran into Xiao Jiang.

Huajie did not recognize her at first. Xiao Jiang had changed into a dark teal Daoist robe, and her hair was pinned up on top of her head under a small lotus crown. The small dark-skinned girl beside her had also been dressed in matching dark teal. Huajie first recognized Xiao Ya, and only a beat later realized it was Xiao Jiang.

By then, she and Xiao Jiang were only three steps apart.

The two looked at each other. Huajie lowered her head slightly in a small bow of acknowledgment.

She did not raise her eyes. She did not open her mouth.

She knew: she must not meet her gaze again. She knew: she must not speak.

The two parties brushed past each other. The little dark-skinned girl turned to look back, and saw the maidservant on the other side carrying the medicine box also turning. The two of them exchanged a look. The little dark-skinned girl jumped forward a step and said: “Mistress, it was them. But Little Magistrate Zhù wasn’t there.”

“Go home.”

“Oh! I wonder what Little Magistrate Zhù is doing right now.”

……

Little Magistrate Zhù was busy preparing for the Mid-Autumn Festival. With the memorial matter resolved and the coordination with Wang Yunhe done, the month had turned toward the eighth. She needed to prepare the Court of Judicial Review’s Mid-Autumn Festival.

Arranging the duty roster — she had been ready to take that shift herself, but Su Kuang stepped in and took it. Su Kuang, having reflected at length, decided to take on more difficult and demanding tasks so that Zheng Xi could see his efforts. Zhù Ying consulted Zheng Xi and gave Su Kuang the shift, while arranging the food and drink for those on duty over the festival.

She also ordered seasonal items in the name of the Court of Judicial Review, distributing them according to rank. She drove a hard bargain, but this was still a sizable order, and there were plenty of merchants willing to work with her on a long-term basis.

The merchants she purchased from all sent samples to her home: “For your inspection.”

And so Zhù Ying ended up with, additionally, several dozen jin of moon cakes in various styles, two large baskets of crabs, assorted melons and fruit in several crates, chickens, ducks, fish and meat, vegetables, wine, and several pots of chrysanthemums from someone who thought to be more creative. These were genuine “samples” — truly varied, with just a little of each, and all together it amounted to a significant pile. Even without touching the share she would receive through the Court, her household alone could not finish it all.

Zhù Ying also knew that merchants would prepare some additional “wastage” to slip to various other clerks who handled things. This was difficult to stop entirely. What Zhù Ying could do was control the quality, personally overseeing the goods that would go out to colleagues, then refuse any valuable items sent to her home, while accepting some “samples” to acknowledge the goodwill.

Zhang Xiangu said: “In past years we never had this much!”

Zhù Ying said: “I’ve changed positions.”

She then discussed with Huajie: “The harvest is almost here, and we can’t finish all these moon cakes ourselves. Beyond sending gifts to a few close households, we can give the rest to beggars outside, or send several jin each to the tenant farmers.” She had Du Dajie pack a basket of fruit and vegetables with ten jin of moon cakes and some eggs to send to Cihui Nunnery. Then she put together a box of moon cakes with ten crabs, a jar of wine, and a chicken — four items total — to send to Jin Liang’s family. Jin Liang’s household returned the gesture with a pig’s head and pig’s trotters. She did the same for Wen Yue’s family.

She personally brought a basket of crabs, ten jin of moon cakes, a fish, a jar of wine, a crate of seasonal vegetables, and a duck to Zheng Xi’s residence — no matter the quantity, for every festival she now made a point of sending a gift to this superior of hers. Zheng Xi was well acquainted with this habit of hers and accepted the gifts graciously, ordering the crabs steamed and sharing them with Senior Marquis Zheng.

Senior Marquis Zheng could not help but remark: “When I found someone this useful, I was already fifty. And he was well into his thirties. You stumbled across this while you’re still young.”

Wang Yunhe’s gift was fresh fruit and wine, along with two pots of chrysanthemums.

Old Ma, Old Mu, and other longtime connections, as well as Sergeant Zhang’s and Coroner Yang’s families, all received something.

Coming in with one hand and going out with the other, she distributed it all and kept only two days’ worth for her own family’s meals.

Inside the household, Zhù Da disliked crabs, so the family had rarely bought them before. In years gone by when they were poor, they would occasionally catch a few shrimps, crabs, or snails from the river — sometimes without even salt to season them, it gave one stomach trouble and had no real taste. He said: “Nothing beats a good pig’s trotter.”

Huajie steamed the crabs with perilla, mixed a ginger-vinegar dipping sauce, warmed the yellow rice wine, and laid out several small dishes alongside. She picked a crab for Zhù Ying, scooped out the roe into the shell, poured the ginger vinegar over it: “Try some?”

Zhù Ying took a bite and said: “So fresh!”

Huajie paired yellow wine with the crab for her. Zhang Xiangu followed along too and said: “Goodness — it’s all crabs, so why does it taste so different? When Ying was small, there was one time we were so hungry we ate these. Ugh! Back then at least we knew it wasn’t poisonous.”

Zhù Da tried two bites tentatively, then let himself go: “The taste really is different! The capital is truly a wonderful place — people grow finer in the capital, and apparently crabs do too.”

Zhù Ying shook her head and laughed. Huajie let him say what he liked. She said: “Once the Mid-Autumn Festival is past, the harvest will be almost here.”

Zhù Ying said: “This year, I’ll go and keep an eye on the harvest myself.”

Zhang Xiangu said: “But you have your official duties?”

Zhù Ying smiled: “I need to look after the harvest this year too!”

Her current duties still included overseeing administrative affairs, one of which was the Court of Judicial Review’s public income and expenditure. She herself did not know much about farming, but the Court of Judicial Review did have its own holdings. All government offices had their share of land, rented out for income. She decided to go and take a close look this year — partly to learn a little about agriculture, and partly to increase the income. That way, when managing her own family’s land in the future, she would have some sense of things.

Zhang Xiangu said: “In past years the steward went, didn’t he? Now you’re going personally — what do you know about working the land?”

“I won’t be doing the labor myself.” Zhù Ying smiled. “My wine is not to be drunk for free — Grand Mentor Wang has already agreed. When he goes on his inspection, I’ll go with him.”

Wang Yunhe was a man who took the people’s livelihood seriously. He would go out to look at the harvest. Zhù Ying had heard about it and pestered him until he agreed to take her along. Wang Yunhe would also be surveying irrigation channels, and she tagged along for that as well.

Wang Yunhe did not simply go out into the fields on a whim. He had his own accounting to do — look at the harvest, see which areas had good yields and which did not. This was the most direct way to assess. Based on this, he would make final adjustments to the irrigation plans, trying to route the channels in ways that avoided destroying good farmland while benefiting the poorer land.

Tagging along with him, Zhù Ying could learn a great deal, and also use the opportunity to win some additional water allocation for the Court’s public farmland and for her own family’s fields. The Zhù family’s tenant farmland happened to be an area where Wang Yunhe had already been planning to extend a small channel, and now she pushed further and squeezed out another share of allocation for the Court’s public fields as well, which made her thoroughly satisfied.

She personally supervised the harvest as well. She went through the tenant farmer roster again and made corresponding adjustments — based on household size, number of able-bodied workers, and living situation, she redistributed next year’s land allocations. She personally sat down with the tenant farmers to calculate the rent, no longer allowing the farm steward to take advantage. She uncovered evidence of the previous steward’s embezzlement and dealt with him accordingly — like slaughtering a fattened pig at year’s end.

She dared to do this because this particular steward had been placed there by the former Presiding Judge of the Court of Judicial Review, who had long since disappeared and would never return to run the Court again in his lifetime.

Zhù Ying then promoted a new person to manage the farmstead, spent the better part of a month in the countryside outside the city, and then returned to report to Zheng Xi.

Zheng Xi said: “I was beginning to think you’d forgotten your way back!”

Zhù Ying said: “Didn’t I come in every day to report for duty and then go back out to the fields afterward?”

Zheng Xi scolded: “You’re like a gong at the door! Tap you once and you always ring back! What’s wrong with letting me say one word?”

“Well, the Court of Judicial Review — isn’t this the place where everything ought to have an echo?”

Zheng Xi set down his inkstone: “Old Huang!”

Old Huang hurried over with water for Zheng Xi to wash the ink from his hands. Zheng Xi said: “Your guard selection — shouldn’t that be starting soon?”

“Yes! Everything is ready.”

Zheng Xi listened to the report, then looked through the simplified official documents, and said: “These are very fine calligraphy.”

“Grand Mentor Wang had Liu Songnian write them.”

“You’ve got some nerve — just saying his name like that! Don’t let him hear you! Cough cough! His calligraphy is also excellent — spend some time studying it.”

“Could it be you’ve got an itch to have the originals for yourself? If you want them, keep them — I’ve already memorized the content.”

“Pah! As if I want them!” Zheng Xi hesitated for a moment, then returned the originals to Zhù Ying after all: “No eye for quality!”

Zhù Ying pocketed the originals without ceremony and went back to prepare for the selection.

The whole capital was now craning its necks toward the Prefecture of the Capital — the time to get serious had finally come!