"Be careful, don't make trouble, eat, eat! In the cool and bright second hall of Ding'an County Yamen, the magistrate Zhang Wei filled a red lacquer plate with small dried fish and handed it to the mouth of an orange house cat with a smile.
The sleeping orange cat smelled the fishy smell, opened its eyes quickly, barked happily a few times, then lowered its head and wolfed down the food.
"Slow down, slow down, there will be more after eating, there will be more!" County Magistrate Zhang Wei warned with gentleness on his face like he was coaxing his mistress. His heart was also filled with happiness and satisfaction.
He is fifty-two years old this year, and his reading skills are average. He took the exam seven times before passing the Jinshi exam. He also ranked second from the bottom among the same year as Yi Qian.
However, his ability as an official was obviously better than that of an academic.
Five years ago, he was appointed as the county registrar and officially entered his official career. Then he steadily rose from chief registrar, county magistrate, to county magistrate, and was transferred to Ding'an, step by step in two years.
This year, he is about to complete his two-year term as Ding'an County Magistrate. Although it is less than the required three-year assessment period, he is qualified to move up a bit.
When a county magistrate is promoted, it is customary to change places and serve as magistrate of a prefecture. However, Zhang Wei's preferred position is to be magistrate of Yaozhou.
There are two reasons for this. First, Yaozhou is close to Jingzhao Prefecture, making it easy to travel upstream.
Secondly, it is because the position of Tongjian, although on the same level as Tongzhi, has greater power than Zhizhou. Moreover, it is an official directly under the central government. He is eligible for priority whether he is promoted or fills the vacancies of other fat officials.
"Slow down, slow down, Ah Fu, I've reserved all the good things for you, don't be in such a hurry!" Thinking of his bright future, Zhang Wei felt even better. He called the cat's name and stretched out his hand to
The orange cat's neck was rubbed repeatedly.
The orange cat's name is Ah Fu, which is exactly the same as his nickname.
In Zhang Wei's eyes, this cat is his lucky star. Since raising it, everything goes smoothly no matter what he does.
As for the fact that the orange cat never catches mice and even doesn't bother to bark when he sees a mouse jumping on the bookshelf, Zhang Wei decisively turns a blind eye and even publicizes it as "benevolence and righteousness".
These days, there are many cats that can catch mice, but there is only one cat in the world that can make friends with mice, Ah Fu!
To be a cat, you have to know how to turn a blind eye, but to be an official, is it not the same?
In Zhang Wei's opinion, those who fulfill their duties and are honest and honest are all lies that only young people who have just entered officialdom will believe.
In fact, those who can play well in the officialdom are all those who know how to live in harmony with the light. The young people will either encounter obstacles everywhere and slowly learn to behave. Or they will sink to the bottom of their lives and never get promotion.
Therefore, Zhang Wei is not optimistic at all about a young inspector around him who has recently become famous.
Do you really think that you can rise to the top with just one piece of lyrics?
That's just the self-comfort of a down-and-out literati. In fact, when did articles become so valuable?
Among all the privy envoys since the founding of the Song Dynasty, which one has the best lyrics and beautiful articles?
As the saying goes, half of the Analects can rule the world. If you really read a lot, you may not be able to be an official.
As for official affairs, whether they are large or small cases within their jurisdiction or neighborhood disputes, they have their own Kong Mu who is responsible for handling them. How can there be a dignified inspection team that has to personally handle everything? (Note: Kong Mu is the general name for subordinate officials in the Song Dynasty. Generally in counties
There are six offices including official cases, household cases, ritual cases, military cases, criminal cases, and work cases. Each office has a hole.)
As a scholar from Bianliang, no matter how smart and capable you are, can you have a better grasp of local affairs and customs than an old official?
I'm lucky that I haven't found any trouble yet.
If you offend someone you shouldn't offend, even if there is a classmate of Taixue standing behind you, you will be disgraced.
Therefore, in the opinion of County Magistrate Zhang Wei, his patrol inspector surnamed Han was either stupid because of his studies. Or, he just wanted to gain fame and changed places and had no intention of patrolling Jinniuzhai in Ding'an County.
Check the long dry position.
Otherwise, this person would never give up his status as an official and go grab the jobs of the chief police officers and government servants.
Not to mention that as a civil servant, he would carry a spear, bow and arrow all day long and chase wild wolves all over the mountains.
The so-called "cases must be solved" and "iron teeth and bronze teeth" may sound majestic, but they are titles only obtained by petty officials.
But there is an invisible natural gap between officials and officials.
Once someone impresses his superiors as a "capable official", the best place to go in his life is the third prison of "Shaofu", "Jiangzuo" and "Dushui", or Dali Temple.
Unless he is able to accomplish extraordinary feats by chance in the future, he will never be able to leave the town or take charge of the central government.
"Reporting to the county magistrate, Zhang Fan, the archer of the Jinniuzhai Inspection Station, on the orders of the patrol inspector Han Qing, transferred the case of Dou Sanniang in Doujiabao against her daughter-in-law for disobedience and unfilial piety, and the plaintiff and defendant in the case went to the county to request the county magistrate to personally judge
!”
Some people just can't help but wonder.
Zhang Weigang was mentally mocking Han Qing, the young man who inspected Jinniu Village, for being careless. Han Qing's name came to his ears through the mouth of chief clerk Zhou Chong.
"My mother-in-law is suing my daughter-in-law for being disobedient and unfilial?! Isn't he said to have iron teeth and bronze teeth? Why is it that such a big case suddenly requires me to work?" Zhang Wei hadn't had enough of playing with the cat yet. He frowned and complained outside the door.
"My subordinate asked the same question just now. Zhang Fan reported that his home inspection officer believed that his duty was to arrest smugglers and catch thieves. It was the responsibility of the county magistrate to herd the people for the emperor and educate the people. He did not dare to overstep his authority!"
Master Zhou smiled and calmly added some oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar to Zhang Fan's original words.
"He also knows not to overstep his authority, it's rare, it's rare!" Zhang Wei, the county magistrate, heard this and immediately sneered.
However, after laughing, nothing happened.
It wasn't until Master Zhou couldn't help but cough a few times outside the door that he suddenly came to his senses. He shook his head and removed his hand from the orange cat's head, and said softly, "Tzuyu, come in and drink tea. There are no outsiders here.
, you and I don’t need to care so much about red tape!”
"Yes!" Zhou Chong and Zhou Ziyu, the chief clerk, agreed, bowed and quickly walked in. A maid opened the door curtain for him, cleared the seats, and brought tea and water.
The county magistrate Zhang Wei stroked the cat for a long time and felt a little thirsty himself. He picked up the teacup and took a few sips slowly, then asked with a smile, "Have you read the file? As the saying goes, it is difficult for an upright official to deal with household chores. I remember this.
, then Madam Dou Sanniang, isn’t this the first time she has sued her daughter-in-law?!”
"The county magistrate has a photographic memory, which I admire!" Zhou Chong immediately sat up straight, smiled and held his hands, "However, the last daughter-in-law's surname was Li, and she had divorced her son. This one, whose surname is Feng, is
His son got married just a year ago, and the marriage was less than half a year old." (Note: Heli, divorce in the Song Dynasty.)
"Heli? Dou Sanniang agree?" Zhang Wei immediately heard something unusual in the other party's words, and instinctively dug into the details.
"My last daughter-in-law is from Lijiazhai. Her father is a village elder, and her status is no lower than that of Dou Sanniang's brother. Since Dou Sanniang doesn't care about family ties, she went to the Yamen to complain about her daughter-in-law's disobedience."
"The Li family couldn't bear to let their daughter suffer any more, so they directly came forward through the owner of the Dou Family Fort to get their daughter to divorce his son."
"The gifts and cash received before the marriage were doubled, and the dowry was all given to his son for free."
Chief Zhou was an experienced official and immediately understood what Zhang Wei wanted to know, so in a few words, he explained the key points clearly.
"Oh, no wonder. I made twice as much money and got a dowry for free, but it was a good deal!" The corners of Zhang Wei's mouth turned up again, his old face full of disdain for Mrs. Dou Sanniang.
"Mrs. Dou Sanniang's new daughter-in-law for her son is from her mother's side, with the same surname as her, Feng. They are still intimate with each other in a roundabout way. Her father is a butcher who kills pigs." Zhou Chong also smiled, his face
There was a bit of schadenfreude in the book, "The last time she complained, it was definitely a treacherous complaint. The county magistrate reprimanded her son and daughter-in-law in public at that time. Without going into details, he handled it properly."
"And this time, I'm afraid it's not a false accusation. She also wants to take advantage of the Feng family's daughter like she did the Li family. I'm afraid the latter will really dare to scold her!"
"Well, definitely!" County Magistrate Zhang Wei smiled, with a bit of schadenfreude on his face.
Then, he thought about it again and asked hesitantly, "Have you asked Zhao Kongmu about the criminal case? What did he say?"
"Before I came to report to you, my subordinate asked." Master Zhou was very experienced and gave the answer with a smile, "Zhao Kongmu said that Butcher Feng had a rather bad reputation in the past, and one can imagine his tutoring.
No matter who is right or wrong between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, if the daughter is guilty of the wrong, this trend must not be allowed to rise. Of course, the specific decision is up to the county magistrate!"
"Indeed, the wind must not rise!" Zhang Wei immediately had an idea and patted the table with his hand, "Although Mrs. Dou is arrogant, she is Feng's mother-in-law after all. As a junior, how can Mrs. Feng disobey and commit crimes?
Come, first take down the rebellious and unfilial Feng, slap him twenty times, and then put him in shackles at the door of the court as a warning to others!"
"The county magistrate is wise, and the saint governs the world with benevolence and filial piety. The county magistrate just took this opportunity to spread the holy will and educate the soldiers and civilians of the county!" Zhou Chong cooperated tacitly and immediately added with a smile.
"Well, Ziyu knows me!" Zhang Wei was touched by what he heard and raised his hand to gently stroke his beard.
Judging cases has always been a science.
The key is that all parties can accept it or can settle it.
As for whether the verdict is fair or not, and whether Mrs. Dou's daughter-in-law had really disobeyed her mother-in-law and was severely punished, whether she was unjust or not, is not something that the county magistrate and the chief registrar need to consider.
Who said her father was just a butcher? He had neither the face nor the ability to support his daughter like the father of his last daughter-in-law, Mrs. Li.
"Your Majesty, it is possible that such a small case cannot be handled by Jinniu Village." In just a few words, a little girl he had never met was thrown into the abyss. The chief secretary, Zhou Chong, was still unfinished. After thinking about it, he added with a smile on his face.
."The reason why he transferred the case to the county is probably mainly because there is no money to be made!"
"Why, did you hear that he was making money?" Zhang Wei, the county magistrate, glanced sideways at Zhou Chong, noncommittal.
"After all, we are guarding the trade route to Xiazhou. This year, the Holy Emperor ordered the troops to stop and let the party members go. The business volume in the past must be at least doubled." Chief Secretary Zhou Chong did not talk about the evidence, but first talked about the possibility.
Based on past experience, when it comes to the distribution of interests, Zhang Wei, the county magistrate, is absolutely unscrupulous. Therefore, he deliberately made a fuss here.
However, this time, Zhang Wei's reaction was somewhat beyond his expectation.
When I saw this man, he stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then smiled and shook his head, "Tzuyu, your horizons are too small!"
"This..." Chief Secretary Zhou Chong was stunned for a moment, then he quickly bowed down and humbly asked for advice, "My subordinate is stupid, so please give me some advice from the county magistrate."
"I told you a long time ago, don't just look at the three-thirds of an acre of land under your feet!" Zhang Wei, the county magistrate, shook his head again, his smile became enigmatic, "Look further away."
After a pause and giving Chief Zhou some time to digest, he continued to talk, "Although he was driven to Jinniu Village to perform meritorious service because he made a big mistake, his roots are in Bianliang after all. He The elders in the family and his mentors have not fallen down. His classmate Li Sheng, as you saw last time, is a calm man and has a promising future."
"Inspector Li does have a bright future, but judging from what happened that night, it seems that the relationship between Inspector Li and him is not as close as he said." Zhou Chong considered it for a moment and added in a low voice.
"Huh? How do you know that the relationship between them is not as close as they say?" County Magistrate Zhang Wei frowned quickly, turned his eyes to Zhou Chong, and asked in a deep voice.
"He, the two senior brothers didn't say a few words that night!" Zhou Chong felt guilty when he was asked. He hesitated for a moment before giving a hesitant response, "In addition, that night, Inspector Li was humiliated, and he He didn't seem to be willing to help. It wasn't until Li Dezhao insulted Taixue that he had to stand up."
"Well -" County Magistrate Zhang Wei groaned, and then exhaled for a long time.
Chief Secretary Zhou Chong was not sure whether his words had moved Zhang Wei. He hesitated for a moment and continued to add tentatively, "Inspector Li is going to Xiazhou. It stands to reason that he can find an excuse to send him to Huanzhou and Xiazhou." At the junction of the two counties. It’s not like the inspection station cannot do without him, and you, the county magistrate, will not fail to give him this face. However, he only sent him out of the county seat, then turned around and went into the mountains."
"Hmm -" County Magistrate Zhang Wei continued to ponder, still noncommittal about Zhou Chong's words.
"And..." Zhou Chong quickly looked around, preparing to continue applying eye drops. Unexpectedly, the county magistrate Zhang Wei suddenly glared at him and asked in a low voice, "Do you have a grudge against him? Or is it because of him recently?" I've offended you again."
"No, no! Definitely not recently." Zhou Chong was frightened and trembled, and quickly shook his head in denial.
Logically speaking, there is really no conflict of interest between him and Han Qing.
However, from the first day he saw this person, he felt displeased.
Later, Han Qing did not consider his face, and directly awarded the farm cattle to the original owner without even asking anyone, which made him feel as uncomfortable as eating a fly.
Although his fault in that incident was very small, it would not affect his evaluation. But no matter how small the stain is, it is still an eyesore, right?
What's more, people named Han haven't been in the limelight too much lately!
Except for the county magistrate, almost all the officials in the county were outshone by this man.
It seems as if he is doing the work of the Korean Inspection Committee, the county captain, the chief secretary, and the six-case office are all made of clay.
With the magistrate Zhang Wei's sophistication, how could he not know that Zhou Chong was being jealous? However, since the other party denied it, he did not expose it. He suddenly smiled and whispered, "Since he didn't, don't stare at him all the time.
.For a person like him, do you think he will stay in Jinniu Village? Even if he is no good, his family and classmates will help him sooner or later. I am afraid that when the limelight passes, he will be transferred back to Bianliang
, make other arrangements.”
"Yes, I obey." I don't know why Zhang Wei protected Han Qing. Zhou Chong blushed and bowed his hands.
"You, calm down!" Zhang Wei smiled again, and his tone became a little more profound, "Since it only happened in a year and a half, why are you in a hurry to drive him away?"
Without waiting for Zhou Chong to express his position, he paused and continued to lecture: "What's more, although the inspection is located under the county magistrate, it is under the county's jurisdiction and is jointly under the jurisdiction of the Prefecture Inspection Department. One inspection will not be able to do a few
He was driven away within a month. You asked the Fuzhou Inspection Department and Yongxing Military Road to inspect the Yamen. How could you not notice this county?"
"What if the Yongxing Army patrols the yamen and sends a seasoned officer down for this purpose? Do you think it will be easier to deal with than the raw melon egg named Han?!"
The words were like a wake-up call. Cold sweat broke out on Zhou Chong's forehead.
After being stunned for a long time, he defended with difficulty: "The county magistrate didn't know something. His subordinates hate him not entirely because he once ruined their subordinates' face. But, but..."
Quickly looking out the window, he confirmed that the partition wall had no ears, so he lowered his voice and said, "My subordinate is worried. He is so smart, likes to meddle in other people's business, and has roots in Bianliang. What if one day he doesn't
Carefully discovered what happened to us..."
"Niu Ju and Wang Wu are both keeping an eye on him for me. At present, it seems that he is only interested in hunting and solving crimes to show off, and has not noticed anything on our side!" The face of the county magistrate Zhang Wei quickly became gloomy.
, the reply sounded like a poisonous snake spitting a message in the dark night.
"My subordinates are afraid, just in case..."
"At that time, we will have to choose the lesser of two evils!" Zhang Wei tapped the table with his fingers, as if everything was under his control, "This place is so close to Xiazhou, and his bad habits are hard to change. Unlike Xia Guogong,
His son is fighting over a woman. It seems that Li Dezhao is not a big-hearted person, and he will inevitably send an assassin to avenge him for his repeated humiliations!"
"Crack!" A muffled thunder suddenly exploded in the sky.
Lightning passed through the bright tiles, illuminating the faces of Zhang Wei and Zhou Chong, flickering brightly and darkly, like ghosts.
