Yang Xiu was a little nervous. Master Zhu's words were getting more and more thorny. Not only was he dissatisfied with the appointment of the two of them, he was even a little hostile.
Lin Jue still smiled and leaned forward and said: "What Mr. Zhu said is that maybe it would be easier to serve in the Imperial Academy and other places. But what we officials have to do is to serve the court. Wherever the court needs it, we should do it."
Where to go instead of choosing what you like to do? In that case, who would be willing to work in a bitter and cold place in a border town, and who would be willing to serve as an official in a remote and wild state? The official believes that we officials must have a
I have the awareness of "I am a brick, I can move it wherever it is needed". I have to face difficulties when doing things. It is true that I have never held a position related to the Criminal Division, and I do not know much about the responsibilities, but I am not afraid of myself.
He will not be competent because he can learn and he believes that he will be able to master it soon. He has absolute confidence that he can make the punishment department run. This is not only his confidence but also his promise to Mr. Zhu.
Your misgivings about your subordinates will be eliminated soon."
"Oh? Hahaha. It is indeed well-deserved. These words are irrefutable. A brick? Where does it need to be moved? Hahaha. Interesting." Zhu Zhirong laughed, but in an instant, the smile on his face faded and he bowed.
Craning his neck and glaring at Lin Jue, he said: "But... everyone can talk big words, but things are not done with words. Do you have confidence? Where does confidence come from? Mr. Lin, I don't like people who talk big words and empty words."
, since the imperial court appointed you to serve, I have nothing to do. But under my jurisdiction, no one enjoys privileges. I might as well speak more plainly. I don’t care what path you take, pull it.
What kind of relationship did you get this position? I only want to tell you one thing. If things don't go well, I don't care who you are, whether you are a relative of the emperor or a top scholar. Get out of here. The Kaifeng government office does not raise waste. You guys
Do you understand?"
Yang Xiu's expression changed, and he stood up angrily to refute. This Zhu Zhirong completely lost the dignity of an official. Although the relationship was between superiors and subordinates, such words without basic etiquette were really unacceptable. What's more, his words
Lin Jue got this position through nepotism, which was a face-to-face and unscrupulous humiliation.
Lin Jue reached out and put his hand on Yang Xiu's hand to stop Yang Xiu's impulse. He still had a smile on his face, but his smile was already a bit ferocious and stiff.
"Master Zhu, the two of you are official officials of the imperial court and are officially appointed officials. I hope your Excellency can understand this. If you feel that we two are not suitable, you can appeal to the Emperor. We are here to perform our duties today, so we have not said much.
I'm afraid it's a little inappropriate for you to say some words that you don't understand. Did Master Zhu conclude that we are not up to the job before the official started to do the work? Could it be that Master Zhu went back to Fuji to tell fortunes?
No? Mr. Zhu, you can't do things based on your words, but you can't do things based on speculation and prejudice, right? Well, Lin Jue will issue a military order to your Excellency here. Within three months, if the official is not qualified for the post of Sentence Division
, Your Majesty, I don’t need to say anything more. Lin resigned from his post on his own initiative and asked the court to appoint someone else. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Zhu Zhirong looked at Lin Jue fiercely. After a while, a smile slowly appeared on his face. He nodded and said: "Okay, not bad, not bad. Mr. Lin is really well-educated. I'm so irritating you, how can you still keep calm?"
You are not furious. I am very satisfied with your performance. Of course, you are not submissive and do not even dare to say a rebuttal. This is also what I am satisfied with. I, Zhu Zhirong, do not want my subordinates to be uncontrollable wild horses, but I do not want them to be uncontrollable wild horses either.
You are a docile sheep. I can only say that your performance today is acceptable to me. Maybe you can really take on this position. I don’t know.”
Lin Jue and Yang Xiu couldn't help but laugh. Listening to his meaning, those words before were actually a means of testing. Or were they used to cover up the inappropriateness of previous words.
"... Just now you said three months. I don't want to be too harsh, so I'll give you half a year. If you can't satisfy me in these six months, then you can leave. You can't stay here, I will go."
Go to the emperor and ask for your replacement. The emperor will still listen to my words. What do you think?" Zhu Zhirong continued.
"A gentleman's words are hard to catch up with," Lin Jue said loudly.
"Well, that's settled. But... you two are here to take up your duties today, and I have to tell you some things. Let you know what you need to do. Originally, if an experienced official came here, this section
It can be omitted, but unfortunately you two are novices, so I have to explain." Zhu Zhirong nodded and said.
"Thank you, sir. I'm waiting for you and I'm all ears."
"That's right, our Kaifeng Mansion didn't originally have a yamen called the Punishment and Prison Department. Our Dazhou Punishment Department can only be established at the Lu level. You should know this, right?"
"I understand," Lin Jue said.
"Just understand. In other words, the Sentencing Department you are going to serve is a new yamen, and you have to organize it yourself. As for the personnel, they can be drawn from the yamen, and I can also provide you with some official candidates. Everything will start from scratch.
To begin with, I’m not here to sit back and enjoy the success.”
"I understand," Lin Jue said.
"This is a section, and more importantly, you have to understand why our Kaifeng Prefecture has established a punishment division Yamen. Logically speaking, there is a punishment division Yamen on Gyeonggi Road. Our Kaifeng Prefecture is also nominally under the jurisdiction of Gyeonggi Road, and there is no new establishment.
Necessity. This has been the case since the founding of the Zhou Dynasty. However, it has been different recently. You must understand that Kaifeng Prefecture has as many as sixteen counties under its jurisdiction, with a population of more than 400,000 households, totaling more than 200
It is true that in matters involving prisons, county magistrates and even Kaifeng government offices have the right to hear and decide cases. However, the official duties of individual prefectures and counties are far more than just prison litigation cases. They are numerous and complex, and in fact
Overwhelmed. The Department of Prisons and Prisons in Gyeonggi Road is nominally under the jurisdiction of Kaifeng Prefecture, but my Kaifeng Prefecture is actually directly under the jurisdiction of the imperial court. Therefore, they basically will not interfere with our affairs. In the past, when there was peace, it was fine, so we just gritted our teeth.
It’s over. But the Gyeonggi area has been quite uneasy recently. There have been a lot of security cases in recent years, and various major, small and difficult cases have begun to accumulate, making officials at all levels suffocated.”
"... Investigating and judging cases requires manpower and energy, and difficult cases require specialized manpower to solve. Cases cannot be solved, people are resentful, and we are under increasing pressure. You must know that Kaifeng Prefecture is where the capital is located.
In this land, nothing is trivial. Therefore, under this situation, I have to propose to the court to establish a criminal prosecution department to focus on the investigation of difficult cases that have not been solved in the past. There are also some unjust and wrong cases that must be considered.
Discrimination. This is the reason why Kaifeng Prefecture established a separate punishment and prison department."
Lin Jue and Yang Xiu nodded frequently, and they all understood. The public security situation in the areas under the jurisdiction of Kaifeng Prefecture was getting worse and worse, and cases occurred frequently. The yamen of Kaifeng Prefecture and the elders of the counties under its jurisdiction finally couldn't stand it anymore.
County magistrates and state officials all have the power and obligation to resolve cases, but their affairs do not end there. If there is peace and quiet under their jurisdiction, it may still be a pleasure to resolve cases. If there are a lot of cases that they have to do every day, they still have to do it.
How can there be any other time to do other things. In this case, there is no time to investigate and solve suspicious cases, unsolved cases, and difficult cases. As a result, the public security and public complaints under the jurisdiction will be easily imagined. If they are not dealt with,
These things will have a greater impact. When the feces reaches the crotch, I rush to dig a toilet.
"So that's it, the officials and others all understand."
"Understanding the original intention of setting up this office, you should also understand what you are facing. Your duty is to detect the cases under your jurisdiction as soon as possible. Especially some vicious murder and robbery cases, they must be detected and apprehended.
The suspect is brought to justice. The difficulty is that some cases have been backlogged for many years, the clues have become very vague, and it is extremely difficult to detect. There are also vicious cases of serial killings and even dozens of lives. Major cases that have caused shock and attention from the government and the public must be solved.
Just like the case of twenty or thirty people killed in the ruined temple at Sanshiliqiao in the north of Beijing last winter. After the investigation, the clues were broken. Many of the clues were complicated and complicated, so special manpower was needed to investigate. We even invited the emperor to investigate that case.
The City Secretary worked together to investigate, but there was no result, which shows how difficult it is. I just want you to understand that what you have to do is not simple. This is also one of the reasons why I said before that I don’t like people to play tricks, because, these
These are not things that can be accomplished just by talking." Zhu Zhirong said solemnly.
When Lin Jue heard about the major case at Sanshiliqiao, his heart beat wildly. It was a case he had done himself, and he actually had to investigate it himself. Isn't this just a thief shouting to catch a thief? According to Zhu Zhirong's words, his position as a criminal officer
It's not easy. It seems that the days of leisure are gone forever.
"Master Zhu, I understand. I must establish the yamen as soon as possible and put it into operation as soon as possible." Lin Jue cupped his hands and said.
"Okay!" Zhu Zhirong stood up and showed a smile. "I have said what needs to be said. I won't keep you here anymore. Someone will take you to the new Yamen office in a while. What happens after that is up to you.
Of course, if you have any questions or need my assistance, please come to me, but I will not refuse if I can do my best."
Lin Jue and Yang Xiu heard this and stood up, cupping their hands and saying, "Thank you, sir. I will resign."
Zhu Zhirong nodded, Lin Jue and Yang Xiu turned around and walked out. Zhu Zhirong suddenly shouted: "Wait a minute, there is something I forgot to mention."
Lin Jue and Yang Xiu stopped and turned around, only to see Zhu Zhirong muttered: "I forgot to tell you that you must report to this officer every ten days and let me know your progress. Several other major cases must be solved within a time limit.
, the imperial court keeps pressing, and it is very difficult for me to do this. If there is no progress, it is unjustifiable."
Lin Jue cupped his hands and smiled and said: "I understand, sir, I will try my best and not make things difficult for you."
Zhu Zhirong stroked his beard and nodded, and Lin Jue and Yang Xiu turned around and went out.
After leaving the Yamen lobby and entering the courtyard, the sun was shining brightly outside. Lin Jue and Yang Xiu breathed a sigh of relief unconsciously. For some reason, the lobby of Kaifeng Mansion always gave people a depressing feeling. Maybe it wasn't the lobby, but the reason.
It's because of Mr. Zhu. His eyes seem to penetrate people's hearts, and they always feel quite uncomfortable under his gaze. Coupled with the unpleasant words he said before, the two of them have a lot of trouble.
The feeling is that Mr. Zhu doesn't seem to like them. I don't know what will happen after this.
After listening to what Zhu Zhirong just said, the happy mood before the two people came has already cooled down. It seems that the position of the Criminal Division Yamen is not easy to hold, and the pressure is huge.
"Two adults, please come with me. I am following Master Zhu's order to take the two adults to the newly established prison office." A man who looked like a government servant came from the side and said with cupped hands.
"Thank you." Lin Jue nodded.
The two people followed this person out of the Kaifeng Mansion Yamen Courtyard and came to the square. They walked west along the square, passed two government offices, and came to an inconspicuous courtyard. The courtyard looked very old at first glance.
The walls on both sides of the courtyard gate are covered with vines. It is only March now, and the vines have not yet produced leaves, so they give people the impression of withered yellow and black gray. Several pieces of glazed tiles on the lintel are broken, the green platform is mottled, and the roof tiles are mottled.
There are still a few bunches of dead grass growing, swaying in the wind. The door panel of the courtyard door is made of wood, and there are cracks on it.
"Two adults, that's it." The officer bowed and smiled.
"Okay, thank you very much. Please come back." Lin Jue nodded.
After the yamen servant left, Yang Xiu walked up the steps with a frown and stretched out his hand to push open the wooden door. The wooden door creaked and was about to collapse. When the door opened, the scene in the yard came into view. The two frowned at the same time because they saw the yard full of miscellaneous things.
There are wild grasses, scattered trees, and a large stone millstone lying in the grass in the yard. It seems that no one has lived in this yard for a long time.
"Why was such a place given? Can it be used as public housing?" Yang Xiu muttered in a low voice.
Lin Jue chuckled and said, "Brother Yang, are you disappointed?"
Yang Xiudao: "It's not that I'm disappointed. I feel that Mr. Zhu is serious about what he said. In fact, he doesn't care about our yamen. Otherwise, why would he come to such a place?"
Lin Jue smiled and walked slowly into the yard. The yard was not without paths. Although there were a lot of weeds, it was not too dilapidated. The three public rooms at the back and several wing rooms on both sides were in good condition.
"It's not bad. It's much better than I thought. At least the house is in good condition. The weeds in the yard are just fine. Just trim the branches and trim them. Brother Yang, don't look sad. Anyway, this is our new home.
Yamen." Lin Jue smiled.
Yang Xiu smiled bitterly and said: "Brother Lin is really an optimist. That's all, that's all. He's well groomed and looks good."
Lin Jue nodded and was about to speak when suddenly the door of the main room in front of him creaked. A figure walked out. Lin Jue and Yang Xiu were startled and shouted at the same time.
A little old man with wrinkles on his face, wearing a government official's clothes and a black square hat stood confused on the steps. It was obvious that he was also startled.
"Who are you?" asked the old government officer.
Yang Xiu frowned and said, "I haven't asked you who you are yet? Isn't this the new office of the Criminal Division?"
"Yes." The old government officer nodded.
"This is Mr. Lin, the newly appointed sentencing judge, and I am Yang Xiu, the new judge. What do you do?" Yang Xiu shouted.
"Oh, it turns out that the two new adults have arrived, and they were saying why they haven't arrived yet. Come out quickly, the new judges and judges have arrived, and they haven't come out to greet them yet." The old yamen officer shouted with a broken gong.
.
With this shout, seven or eight people rushed out from the main room. An old man in green official uniform almost fell down when he went down the steps. Fortunately, the people next to him supported him.
"The lower official Yu Deshui came to greet Mr. Lin and Mr. Yang. Alas, he said he would come in the morning, and he did. Okay, okay, the two adults are here. This Yamen now has a master." The green-robed official uniform.
The old man gasped and laughed.
A group of people also came forward and bowed their hands, and made a messy noise for a while.
Lin Jue frowned and looked at the group of people in front of him, and said in a deep voice: "Are you all from our Yamen?"
"Yes. The subordinate Yu Deshui is the governor you accepted. These two are masters, one is Lao Qin and the other is Lao Liang. This one is Wu Youde, the head of the yamen team in our yamen. Let's call him Lao Wu.
.These are all your servants."
Yu Deshui introduced each one clearly. But Lin Jue and Yang Xiu's faces were astonished, as if they had swallowed a duck egg raw. The seven or eight people in front of them were all as old as autumn eggplants.
.The average age must be over fifty. It is reasonable to say that the governor is older and the two masters are older. The remaining four or five government officials are all very old, so how can they run errands to get people?
"Are you guys the only ones? We should have more than this number of police officers, right?" Lin Jue asked.
"More than that, not just that. At least we have the title of Criminal and Prison Department. Although it cannot be compared with the big yamen at the road level, our equipment is also that of a medium yamen. In addition to our three officials, two masters, and three miscellaneous
In addition to the guards, there are also eight government officials and twelve police officers." Yu Deshui said with a smile.
"Oh!" Lin Jue felt relieved. After calculation, there are still fifteen or six places, and he can choose some strong people to come in.
"The rest of the people have gone to the Kaifeng government office warehouse to move things. We don't have enough tables, chairs, benches, cabinets, and other supplies. We also have a large number of case files that need to be moved in for adults to review, so they are not here. They will be here soon.
Come back, you'll be back soon." Yu Deshui said with a smile.
Lin Jue frowned and said: "You mean, the staff is already fully equipped? There is no need to select staff anymore?"
"No, no, no, sir Quan Zhi and Lord Tongpan have already made arrangements, and the selection was made yesterday evening." Yu Deshui said with a smile.
Lin Jue looked at Yang Xiu, who spread his hands helplessly. All the personnel had been deployed. What Zhu Zhirong said before about selecting personnel and assigning subordinate officers was nonsense. There was no need to choose by himself.
Yu Deshui and others surrounded Lin Jue and Yang Xiu and entered the main room. The room was a bit messy, with some broken tables, chairs and benches piled together, and there were piles of garbage on the ground. It seemed that Yu Deshui and others were cleaning the house. The house was upside down.
It's not shabby, the wooden doors and flower windows are all intact, and there are no signs of leakage or mold. Looking from the open rear window, there is a small yard at the back with many messy flowers and trees.
The original appearance of this yard does not seem to be bad. If it is tidied up, new furniture is put in the house, new window paper is put on the windows, and it is cleaned and tidied up, it should be a very good place.
"Mr. Lin, my subordinates are taking them to sweep and clean the house. Why don't you two adults stand outside for a while? It will be full of dust and it will choke the two adults. Old Wu, let's see if we can find it.
The two chairs that can only sit are moved outside so that the two adults can sit and rest in the yard." Yu Deshui said.
"Okay, okay, here are two chairs with three legs. Just attach one leg to the little one. The two adults will wait a moment." Old Wu agreed repeatedly and started rummaging through a pile of broken tables, chairs and benches.
Lin Jue waved his hands and said: "No, you are busy with your business. Master Yang and I are just going around. Clean out the house first, and then we can slowly organize it."
"Okay, okay, I will obey Mr. Lin's instructions. Everyone should get busy. The two adults' public rooms must be cleaned first. The cobwebs on the roof must also be cleaned up. Don't be lazy." Yu Deshui ordered loudly.
Everyone agreed in unison. Who would be lazy in front of the official? There was a lot of dust and a lot of hustle and bustle.
Lin Jue and Yang Xiu stood inside for a while, but they were really choked by the dust and couldn't bear it, so they came out and stood in the corridor to chat. There were so many people to do things, but they didn't arrive for half an hour, and there were piles of garbage, dust, and broken tables and chairs.
After the dust dispersed, when Lin Jue and Yang Xiu entered again, the appearance of the three rooms had changed drastically. All the dust stains on the beams on the walls had disappeared. The tattered papers hanging on the long windows had also been removed.
It was torn cleanly. Although the whole house was empty, the floor was flat and the walls were white and square, which made it feel a lot more comfortable.
"After hard work, it looks like this. After putting up the tables, chairs and bookcases, it looks like this. Hang a plaque in the main hall, put some flowers and plants in the room, hang a few calligraphy and paintings, and put on new window paper. Hang a few more lanterns in the corridor.
, it will be different immediately." Lin Jue laughed.
Yu Deshui's face was covered with dust, he bowed and said with a smile: "Yes, sir, you are an elegant person, and our prison office must be elegant."
Lin Jue nodded with a smile, turned to look outside and said, "Why haven't the tables, chairs, stools, and cabinets been moved in yet? Is the warehouse far away?"
Yu Deshui said hurriedly: "Old Wu, go and take a look. Why haven't Old Yuan and the others come yet? They are really slow."
Old Wu hurriedly said: "I'm going to take a look. Maybe there are a lot of things."
Old Wu wiped the dust off his body and walked out of the courtyard. Suddenly, there was a noise outside. Old Wu turned around and said happily: "The things have been moved back."
Lin Jue hurriedly led everyone towards the courtyard door, and saw a group of people carrying a lot of things, all of which were heavy furniture and other items, filing in through the courtyard door. Soon there was a pile of things.
.The last two people came in carrying two big boxes, their faces were red and their ears were red, and they were cursing again and again.
"You all have come to see Mr. Lin and Mr. Yang. From now on, Mr. Lin will be the executioner of our yamen, our leader. Mr. Yang will be the judge. You all have come to see them." Yu Deshui greeted loudly.
A group of government officials quickly came forward to salute and spoke in a messy manner.
From the moment they entered the door, Lin Jue and Yang Xiu's expressions were dull and awkward. They thought that the agents who were moving things were young adults, but when they came in, Lin Jue and Yang Xiucai discovered that
, all of them are elderly people. All of them have wrinkles on their faces, stooped backs, and they can’t breathe evenly. These are not the policemen and government servants who can do their jobs. The entire punishment department is equipped with all the personnel.
They are old and weak people, and this is just a nursing home.
