The next morning, the cool breeze was cold, and there was still a thin layer of mist in the sky, covering the trees that were still losing their leaves in the distance. Clumps of withered and yellow grass on the bumpkin not far away swayed left and right in the cool breeze, as if welcoming.
Same as guests.
Outside Yingtian City, outside Guo Guanyin Gate, Zhu Ping'an, Chu Xiong and other officials from the Criminal Department, led by Mr. Nie Tai, gathered in Changting with the Chief Secretary, Nanjing Six Ministries and other officials to await the arrival of the new Zhejiang patrol supervisor Hu Zongxian.
Officials from different yamen, led by their respective bosses, greeted each other and then waited in separate areas.
The rising sun rose slowly in the eastern sky, but there was still no movement on the official road to the north, and no one could be seen.
The Chuxiong man was relatively fat. After standing there waiting for a long time, his body couldn't bear it. From time to time, he stretched out his hands to rub his thick waist. He couldn't help but said half-complainingly, half-jokingly, "Tsk, who dares to believe it if you put it in front of me?"
We, a group of officials starting from the fifth rank, went out of the city early in the morning to meet a seventh-rank official."
"Hey, Fatty Chu, do you dare to wait until the new Zhejiang Inspector and Supervisor arrives to say this in front of him?"
Zhang Chufeng snorted and said excitedly to Chu Xiong.
"Oh, it's a cheap way to provoke generals and a clumsy trick to borrow a knife. I'm not stupid, so I won't be fooled by you."
Chu Xiong snorted, glanced at Zhang Chufeng with narrowed eyes, and rolled his eyes disdainfully.
Zhang Chufeng sneered, "Haha, Fatty Chu, you are also good at gossiping behind people's backs."
"No, you are wrong. I don't just talk nonsense behind people's backs, I also say it in front of others."
Chu Xiong squinted his eyes and stared at Zhang Chufeng, and said seriously.
Zhang Chufeng chuckled disdainfully, expressing that he didn't believe Chu Xiong's words.
"You don't believe it?!" Chu Xiong grinned, "For example, I often talk about you in front of you."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chufeng's face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot, and he turned his head and ignored Chu Xiong. Seeing this, Chu Xiong's fat face smiled brighter and brighter, like a victorious rooster.
"Brother Zhu, why do you think our new Zhejiang Inspector Hu, Mr. Hu, is here so slowly? He really can keep his composure." Chu Xiong approached Zhu Pingan and whispered with a slight complaint.
Zhu Ping'an smiled slightly and replied softly, "I asked Taizu to stipulate that the censors who patrol and supervise can only ride donkeys and not horses when traveling. Mr. Hu came to his post on a donkey, so he arrived late."
Indeed, Zhu Yuanzhang, the great emperor of Hongwu, stipulated that the censors could only travel on donkeys, not horses.
Because of the great power given to the patrol and supervisory censors, Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, in order to strike a balance and avoid the patrol and supervisory censors from becoming bigger, not only restricted the rank of the patrol and supervisory censors, but also made many restrictions in other aspects. In addition to
In addition to not being able to ride donkeys when traveling, Emperor Hongwu also stipulated that the censors who patrolled and monitored were not allowed to eat geese. In the war-torn times of Emperor Hongwu, geese were relatively rare and expensive, and banquets with goose meat were more classy. For example, Zhu Yuanzhang
He often rewarded his ministers with goose meat as a show of honor. Why did everyone talk about the fact that Zhu Yuanzhang rewarded Xu Da with roasted goose, which caused Xu Da to suffer from gangrene and die? This is also one of the reasons. Zhu Yuanzhang restricted the inspection and supervision of censors from eating it.
Goose is to restrict the inspection and supervision censors in terms of treatment.
However, any system is afraid of time. The original intention and good intentions of Emperor Hongwu were ignored in later generations. In later generations, with the overall improvement of the status of civil servants and the expansion of the power of the patrol censor, Emperor Hongwu was bound to the patrol censor.
Gradually, the ropes were loosened, and the status and power of the Xunjing Yushi became larger and larger. Today, the Xunjing Yushi can not only ride a horse, but also eat goose, braise, steam, and barbecue as he wants.
How to eat it. If we could really implement the rules set by Taizu, how would today's high-level people go out of the city to meet the low-level supervisory censor.
If we go back further, in the late Ming Dynasty, the censors and censors have really become powerful officials. They are arrogant and extravagant, corrupt and bribery, and it is not uncommon for them to violate the law and harm the people.
However, Hu Zongxian is different.
Zhu Ping'an forgot what he read in that book. Hu Zongxian came to Zhejiang to take up the post of supervisory censor. He really came on a donkey.
Zhu Ping'an combined the records and comments of Hu Zongxian in historical books and unofficial historians, and did not doubt this record.
"Haha, Mr. Zhu has read so many books, but as the ancients said, it is better to believe in books than to have no books at all. Although Taizu stipulated that the censors who patrol and supervise can only ride donkeys and not horses when traveling, but those are all old people.
It’s almanac, now, the censor who patrols and supervises can already ride a horse and eat geese." Zhang Chufeng said with a smile on the side.
"Really? Thank you Mr. Zhang for your advice." Zhu Ping'an twitched his lips slightly, first cupped his hands to express his thanks, and then said honestly, "But I think Hu Yushi came late, maybe he really did it according to his ancestors' wishes."
He's coming on a donkey."
"And riding a donkey?! Haha, Mr. Zhu is really young." Zhang Chufeng couldn't stop laughing.
"Hey, let's just wait here. Anyway, we have nothing to do. Why don't we come to Yabo?"
Chu Xiong came closer again and said with a grin.
"What's Yabo?" Zhang Chufeng asked with raised eyebrows. He lost to Chu Xiong one hundred taels last time, and he still feels bad about it. He always wanted to win back. When he heard Chu Xiong talk about Yabo, he naturally became interested.
"Hey, weren't Brother Zhu and Brother Zhang just discussing whether Hu Yushi came to his post on a donkey or a horse? Why don't we ask whether Hu Yushi came to his post on a donkey or a horse this time. Anyway, I have nothing to do.
Sitting is also idle, Yabo is killing time, how happy is it?!"
Chu Xiong suggested with a grin.
"I have no objection, I just wonder if Mr. Zhu dares to insist on his opinion?" Zhang Chufeng twitched the corner of his mouth and asked Zhu Ping'an provocatively.
"Isn't it too bad in this situation?" Zhu Ping'an said with a simple face.
"It's just Yabo, why not?! When Zhang Shangshu took office last time, we still bet on how many followers he would bring?!"
Zhang Chufeng curled his lips relentlessly.
"That's right, little brother Zhu, don't worry, there were several officials from the yamen involved last time. It's just Yabo, it's harmless."
Chu Xiong also said with a smile.
"Is it really okay?!" Zhu Ping'an confirmed with an honest look.