Chapter 97

The towering Teaching and Transformation Ward contrasted with the somewhat low county office gate to the north; the gate of Qingyun Xian Government Office is three bays wide, the middle is the passageway, and on both sides are the typical eight-character walls of a government office. As the saying goes: 'At the government gate, the eight-character opens; without money, even if you are in the right, do not enter.' This is where it comes from. On both sides of the gate stand a pair of imposing stone lions, and on the east side of the gate hangs a large drum, which is where plaintiffs come to beat the drum and seek justice.

At the Government Office gate there were two gate guards, wearing blue-cross-collared cloth shirts, narrow-sleeved long robes, with tight pleats below, and red cloth sashes around their waists; their clothes were neither new nor old. Because it was a midsummer afternoon with the sun high, both were scorched red-faced and sweating profusely, each leaning on a Water Fire Staff. These two were the face of the County Government Office, and they had to maintain their image; no matter how deserted the front gate, they had to stand there properly. This was absolutely a thankless post, usually called a gatekeeper, and the lowest-ranking among the three classes of government bailiffs. Government bailiffs also have ranks and grades; generally they are divided into two categories: the militia, treasury clerks, battalion leaders, and garrison soldiers are considered good citizens, while the constables, runners, investigators, examiners, prison guards, and gatekeepers are considered base people. These base people are on par with prostitutes, actors, and slaves; base-person bailiffs, including their descendants for three generations, are barred from taking the imperial examinations and are not allowed to purchase official positions, and are looked down upon by the scholar-gentry. Moreover, they can only exercise whatever authority they have when people come and go; often, the less power they have, the more they push it to the limit.

The two bailiffs originally thought that Hu Xiaotian and his two companions had come to beat the drum and file a complaint, and they immediately perked up, remarking that from morning till now someone had actually come to the door on their own initiative. But they soon realized something was off: these three had not beaten the drum, but instead walked straight up to the gate.

Li Er, standing on the right, shouted: 'Hey, hey! I'm talking to you! What are you doing? To file a complaint you must first beat the drum; Sir is resting!'

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: 'I'm not here to file a complaint!'

'What are you doing here if you're not filing a complaint? Open your eyes and take a look—this is the Qingyun Xian Government Office; do you think the government is a place just anyone can come to?' The two government bailiffs raised their Water Fire Staffs, crossed them to block the central passageway, and stood on the steps looking down at Hu Xiaotian and his companions. In their minds, officialdom reigns over the people, and they already see themselves as officials—of course, this attitude only appears when facing ordinary civilians. Government bailiffs also have ranks and grades; generally they are divided into two categories: the militia, treasury clerks, battalion leaders, and garrison soldiers are considered good citizens, while the constables, runners, investigators, examiners, prison guards, and gatekeepers are considered base people. These base people are on par with prostitutes, actors, and slaves; base-person bailiffs, including their descendants for three generations, are barred from taking the imperial examinations and are not allowed to purchase official positions, and are looked down upon by the scholar-gentry. Moreover, they can only exercise whatever authority they have when people come and go; often, the less power they have, the more they push it to the limit.

Although Murong Feiyan is called the number one female divine constable in the capital, she actually has little social standing. However, compared to the local government bailiffs, Murong Feiyan believes she is completely different from them—not because she harbors any clan mentality, but because the times have made it so; she has been educated this way since childhood, and in this strictly hierarchical society, people unconsciously measure each other by status.

Hu Xiaotian silently sighed; these bailiffs all have eyes but fail to recognize Mount Tai—'I am the newly appointed County Secretary; can't you tell?' Frankly, it's not really their fault, for his face doesn't bear the words 'County Secretary,' and besides, the three of them are travel-worn, faces covered in loess; judging by appearance or accent, they clearly look like outsiders.

Having learned a thing or two from the previous incidents, Liang Da Zhuang, upon arriving here, still tried to say as little as possible, for the young master would back him up in everything; to be a good household servant, one must obediently stand behind the master, leaving any public-facing matters to the master, and enduring hardship is his duty. Murong Feiyan couldn't be bothered to argue with these bailiffs; having served many years in Jingzhao Prefecture, she had long grown accustomed to the myriad corrupt practices of officialdom, and the demeanor of these bailiffs was typical of the petty-officer malaise.

Hu Xiaotian wasn't angry either, and with a pleasant expression he said, 'I want to see the County Magistrate.' Before coming, he had already inquired clearly: the County Magistrate is Xu Qinglian, forty-seven years old, who has served in Qingyun Xian for two years. According to Dakang's official system, local officials are rotated every three years, meaning that next year Xu Qinglian will have to leave; once Xu Qinglian departs, Hu Xiaotian, as Qingyun Xian's second-in-command, will naturally become the County Magistrate. Thinking of this, Hu Xiaotian couldn't help feeling a bit elated; although he had never held office before, once one becomes an official one must aim for the top position—take hospitals, for example, where the director bears responsibility, while a bunch of deputy directors are merely nominal figureheads, and any document over five hundred units requires the director's signature.

Although Hu Xiaotian's attitude was not bad, these bailiffs were not buying it, and Li Er sneered, 'Who do you think you are? Our Sir is not someone that just any idle person can see whenever they please!'

Hu Xiaotian was about to reveal his identity when suddenly he heard a commotion outside; looking up, he saw two men tugging and pulling their way to the front of the County Government Office—one fat, one thin, both dressed in rags, each gripping the same rope, with a goat trailing behind the rope, and a few townsfolk following behind to watch the spectacle.

Together they arrived at the large drum on the east side of the Government Office gate, and almost simultaneously picked up the drumsticks to beat the drum and seek justice, but neither would let go of the rope, tugging at each other—it seemed the dispute was over that goat.

The moment the Government Office's large drum sounded, it instantly drew the nearby townsfolk; the Qingyun Xian Government Office hadn't opened for days—not because peace prevailed, but because the place was impoverished, with most locals having just eaten a meal and not knowing where the next would come from, who had the heart to go to court? With no lawsuits, the Government Office had nothing to do; with nothing for the Government Office to do, the bailiffs had nothing to do; having nothing to do meant no profits, and before long a vicious cycle formed. Seeing that someone had finally beaten the drum to seek justice, the two gatekeeping bailiffs' eyes lit up, gleaming greedily, not only fixed on the men but also on the goat they were leading, and almost simultaneously they thought, 'It's been ages since we've had any meat or fish.'

Before Hu Xiaotian could even announce his identity, this incident occurred; he simply set his own affairs aside for the moment and, following the crowd of townsfolk, entered the County Government Office, eager to see his direct superior—this County Magistrate Xu Qinglian—to find out what real ability he had, and whether he lived up to his name of being incorruptible.

Inside, the sound of the court being summoned rang out, accompanied by the government bailiffs' mighty shouts.

Hu Xiaotian and his two companions followed the crowd of townsfolk along the passageway into the ceremonial gate; the ceremonial gate is the gate of propriety of the County Government Office. Normally it remains closed, opening only on the first day a new official takes office or when welcoming a high-ranking official. Furthermore, when the main hall holds major celebrations or tries major cases, the ceremonial gate is also opened to allow the populace to enter before the hall to watch or listen in, now

Today's case is hardly a major one, but because the Qingyun Xian Government Office hasn't held a trial in ages, today's court opening is especially grand, and they specially opened the ceremonial gate to let the populace in to observe. The main hall's warm pavilion is where each newly appointed County Magistrate, upon taking office, initially registers households and accounts; it is also where the Magistrate holds major celebrations, conducts the opening and sealing of seals, and tries and passes judgment on major criminals. Above the main hall hangs a gold-plated plaque in running script reading 'Qingyun Xian Main Hall'; on the thick black-lacquered pillars before the hall are golden antithetical couplets reading, 'To deceive the people is to deceive heaven, do not deceive yourself; to burden the populace is to burden the nation, how can one bear to do so?' In the center of the hall stands a warm pavilion serving as the Magistrate's tribunal; its front screen bears a colored painting of 'Sea Water at Dawn,' and the black-lacquered case table holds the four treasures of the study, an ink box, a sounding board, and issuing warrants, etc., for trial use. Outside the west side of the pavilion are placed the hall drum, ceremonial guard, and instruments of punishment, while before the pavilion lie two blue stone slabs—the east one for the plaintiff, the west for the defendant. In fact, the designs of Dakang government offices are largely similar, differing only in scale, while maintaining consistency in internal structure.

After the two litigants entered the main hall, they continued to tug at the goat, their dispute unabated; a government bailiff came over, led the goat away, and tied it up outside the hall. It appeared that both had been to court before, and they scrambled to kneel on the plaintiff's stone, but the thinner man was more nimble, his movements much quicker, and he managed to kneel on the plaintiff's stone first.

Although the fat man failed to seize the plaintiff's stone, he also refused to kneel on the defendant's stone, so he knelt right beside the thin man.

At that moment, the government bailiffs repeatedly tapped the ground with their Water Fire Staffs and again shouted, 'Mighty!' Indeed, the government office still held considerable psychological sway over the populace; the onlookers instantly held their breath, not daring to utter a sound.

The fat and thin men wailed in unison, 'Injustice!' 'Injustice!' These two paid no heed to the solemn plaques on either side; evidently they were seasoned litigants, and upon stepping into the main hall they showed no trace of fear.

Hu Xiaotian's attention, however, was on the main figure of this County Government Office, the Qingyun Xian County Magistrate Xu Qinglian. After much calling and summoning, Xu Qinglian finally made a grand entrance; he was slight of build, with dark skin, an eight-shaped mustache, wearing a green outer robe, trousers that covered the knees, and a white gauze undershirt, his feet in thick-soled official boots, his waist bound with a leather belt, and his head covered with a black gauze hat. Embroidered on the rank badge on his chest was a Lan bird; to say the least, this uniform was also somewhat worn. Xu Qinglian held the upper ninth rank, while Hu Xiaotian held the lower ninth rank—a difference of only half a grade, but in officialdom precedence is determined by seniority, and a higher rank can crush you; do not underestimate this half-grade, for in Qingyun Xian Hu Xiaotian could only obey orders.

Xu Qinglian yawned, his face somewhat gloomy; he came up to the hall and sat down, then seized the sounding board and struck the case table heavily, his hoarse voice saying, 'Who dares beat the drum and seek justice? Disturbing me… ah… owing…' He hadn't finished speaking before he yawned again; from his appearance to now, he hadn't once looked downward, having been enjoying a pleasant noon nap, suddenly disturbed—anyone would be in a bad mood.

No matter how Hu Xiaotian looked at him, he seemed like a drug addict, with thief-like eyebrows and mousey eyes, skin and bones; saying he resembled a thief would meet no objection, but to call him an official, Hu Xiaotian secretly shook his head—what trace of official dignity did he have? From head to toe he was written with the two big characters 'lewd'.

The thin and fat men kneeling below the hall shouted in unison, 'Sir, I am wronged!'

Xu Qinglian finally opened his small eyes a little, gazing sleepily at the two below, and only then realized they were both kneeling on the eastern side: 'I ask you two—who is the plaintiff and who is the defendant?'

'Sir, with your discerning eye! I am the plaintiff!' the fat man shouted at the top of his lungs.

Though the thin man was small in stature, his voice was not weak; he bellowed, 'Sir, I am the plaintiff!' The two below the hall immediately fell into another dispute.

Xu Qinglian seized the sounding board and struck the case table heavily again, and the government bailiffs on both sides shouted in unison, 'Mighty!'

Xu Qinglian snapped, 'Shut your mouths, all of you; if you dare to shout again in the main hall, I will have each of you beaten fifty times.' The County Magistrate displayed his authority, and indeed the two were silenced. Seeing that they had stopped speaking, Xu Qinglian glanced at each of their faces a few times, then pointed at the fat man and said, 'You speak first!' Normally one would first ask for their names and residences, but Xu Qinglian was clearly not in his right state today, so he omitted that—after all, this wasn't a major case, and there wasn't much to gain from it—but that goat looked mighty fine! Xu Qinglian's two eyeballs began to circle around that goat. **************************** Starting from this chapter, each chapter will be a full three thousand words, with at least three updates daily; let's see who dares call Zhangyu lazy again—what's that? —the official launch is the day after tomorrow; have you prepared your Monthly Ticket?

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