Qin Official

"The first day of the twelfth lunar month is the official assessment. It will be presided over by the chief official at the official temple. Mr. Hei, don't forget it!"

When Heifu and the others came out, it was already evening. When they said goodbye in front of the county official's office, Chen Baijiang repeatedly told them not to miss the date!

He also solemnly reminded Heifu: "If you really can become the chief of Huyang Pavilion, don't forget who single-handedly supports you!"

Heifu made a look of sincerity and fear: "Heifu, please remember it in your heart. There is a saying in my hometown, which is called a drop of water, and a spring will repay you. Heifu dare not forget You Lieutenant's great kindness! Of course, he will not forget Chen Bai either. The general’s kind words…”

"The kindness of a drop of water should be repaid by a spring of water... This is a good saying. I will tell your lieutenant."

Unlike Du Xian, the right lieutenant of the county who did things with ease, Chen Baijiang was just a smart person but not very wise. He nodded with satisfaction: "That's good, Chief Heifu, I hope that you and I can become colleagues and colleagues." That day!”

After saying this, he said goodbye to Hei Fu and left.

Hei Fu bowed to Chen Baijiang, and did not raise his head until his figure disappeared at the corner of the street. However, the smile just now had already faded, and his eyes were deep and thoughtful.

His mouth was full of gratitude, but his heart was still like a mirror.

Many years ago, Xunzi once described what he saw when he came to Qin, saying, "When you enter the country, you will see its scholar-bureaucrats. They come out of their gates and enter the public gates. They leave the public gates and return to their families. They have no private affairs. They are no better than those in Zhou Dynasty." , no clique..."

This is true. The Qin State does have many good officials like Xi who are not cliquey and no better than Zhou. However, Lao Xunzi still viewed Qin too one-sidedly.

Although Shang Yang's reform tried to put an end to the favoritism and corruption that spread in the six countries, Shantouism. But Qin is so big, with so many prefectures and counties, and although the laws are strict and meticulous, as long as people are alive, they cannot erase the intricacies of human relationships. How can they avoid everything? Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Fan Sui, the prime minister of King Zhao of Qin, to place his saviors Zheng Anping and Wang Jiquan in important positions, only to end up being accused and killed for surrendering to the enemy.

That was a big case. On a smaller scale, the current overt and covert fight between the two lieutenants in Anlu County is also a typical silhouette.

Although Du Xian, the right lieutenant, is the chief officer, he is from outside and does not have a deep foundation in the local area. In order not to be ignored by Zuo Wei Yunman, he could only promote some of his cronies as his wings. Or officials like Chen Baijiang who came from a school in Nanjun; or local people like Heifu who came from a humble background but had some abilities, because such people are more likely to be grateful.

After various events in the past month, Heifu had completely become enemies with Zuo Wei and his group. In order to avoid the retaliation that would come at any time, he could only involuntarily join You Wei's command. This is also thanks to the fact that he proved himself to be a useful person in catching thieves and conducting military exercises on ten days. Otherwise, how could the right lieutenant think highly of him?

On the way out of the official temple, Heifu thought about this clearly and sighed: "Although I know that the right lieutenant of the county is not innocent, I am still grateful to him and thank him for giving me such an opportunity!"

Although the chief of the pavilion was young, he was only a minor official at the level of "fighting for food". In the words of later generations, he was not even as good as a ninth-grade sesame official. But then again, which police academy student who has just graduated from the police academy in future generations will have such an opportunity? Can you become the director of a grassroots police station? Heifu couldn't wait to express himself during the military exercise on the tenth day, just for this opportunity.

The Qin State had the fairest class mobility in the world during the Warring States Period, so Heifu believed that the awl would always stand out.

Although he was held in someone's hand in the end, he could be used as a weapon to stab his opponent at any time. If one day, the weapon would be the first to be broken...

But now, Heifu can only climb along the pole, wherever he goes. This is his first step into the bamboo pole called "official career". On this pole, you have to be mentally prepared. When you look up, you will see your butt, and when you look down, you will see smiles.

However, the matter is not over yet. The appointment and removal of a pavilion chief is not the county captain's decision. Du Xian can propose candidates to the county magistrate, but the power of personnel appointment and removal does not lie with him, but in the hands of the county magistrate and his subordinate "chief officials".

The chief official is a two-hundred-stone official, who is at the same level as the jailer. He is responsible for the appointment and dismissal of personnel, the advance and retreat of officials, and is equivalent to the director of the organization department of the county party committee in later generations.

If Heifu remembers correctly, a few years later, in Pei County, thousands of miles away, Xiao He, the first prime minister of the Han Dynasty, would also serve as this official, and he got to know Director Liu of Sishui Pavilion...

"If you calculate it this way, wouldn't I become the pavilion chief several years earlier than Liu Bang?" Heifu couldn't help but feel happy when he thought of this.

But don't be too happy too early. Before that, he has to pass a test, which is Qin's civil service examination - the official assessment.

At this time, Qin officials were divided into two types: literary officials and military officials. The pavilion chief was responsible for catching thieves and maintaining security. He was a military official and had requirements for personal martial arts. Therefore, the county captain asked him if he knew the "Five Soldiers". To be a pavilion chief, you must be proficient in at least one kind. Hei Fu is not worried about this. He still has confidence in his abilities. He can't embarrass the police academy, can he?

In addition to martial arts, there are also laws and regulations that need to be examined.

In the Qin Dynasty, which advocates the rule of law, "everything depends on the law." One of the criteria for distinguishing good officials and bad officials in the official document "Yushu" issued by the Nanjun Prefect last year is that "all good officials know the law and order, and nothing is done". You can't", and "evil officials don't know the law and don't know what's going on."

As the chief of the pavilion, in addition to catching thieves, he also has to hold a two-foot wooden slip to teach the Dharma to the people along the way, so he must not be ignorant of the Dharma.

In order to prove in front of the "chief officials" that he is a good official who is qualified for the position of chief of the pavilion, Heifu must go through a "legal question and answer" that you ask and I answer before he can pass the test.

This time Heifu was a little confused. Although he knew a lot of laws these days, overall, he was still legally illiterate.

Fortunately, the "chief official" did not ask him to take the exam immediately, but set the assessment time on December 1st. Because according to the practice of the Qin State, from the first day of December to March is the time for the appointment and dismissal of officials in various places.

"It's the last day of October, that means there's only one month left?"

Heifu couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. It was not difficult for him to memorize "The Law of Stealing", "The Law of Catching" and other laws within a month, because there were not many words. The difficulty is that it needs to be used skillfully according to different cases. Qin's concept of punishment is very different from that of later generations.

Who should I ask for advice?

The first thing Heifu thought of was Xi. However, Doctor Xi was an important official in the county and had only met Heifu once. How could he have time to teach him the Fa?

After thinking about it, he came up with an idea.

The reason why this "black man" knows how to read is because when he was a child, when his family's conditions were good, he and his eldest brother Zhong once learned simple reading and writing from two elderly people, Lu Ying in the sunset and Yan Zheng in the nearby Banli.

These two old men were once county and township grammarians, and they were also proficient in laws and regulations. Sergeant Wu would come to ask questions when he encountered any questions about the laws that he did not understand. The Heifu family has some friendship with them and will pay them a visit when they return.

Thinking like this, Heifu quickened his pace. He just wanted to go back and pack his bags and go home quickly, not only to see his family earlier, but also for his own future...

By the time Hei Fu returned to the school grounds, it was already getting dark. The school grounds, which had been crowded with guards in the past, had become empty and quiet. Looking from a distance, the row of thatched huts were dimly lit, and even the stoves were extinguished. .

He couldn't help but regretfully said: "I originally agreed to go on the road with Ji Ying and the others, but I was called by the right lieutenant to go with me. At this time, I'm afraid they all left first..."

Like Heifu, after leaving home for a month, who among the guards doesn’t want to go back to see his parents, wife and children as soon as possible? Guishi, who had been together day and night for a month, just parted ways.

It's not that Hei Fu is reluctant to part with the temporary position of chief minister, but he regrets the friendship and friendship. This was the second time since he came to this era, apart from the warmth of his family, that he felt that he was not alone. Perhaps influenced by studying in the police academy in his previous life, Heifu is also a collectivist at heart.

Many villages in this era still lived a life where chickens and dogs knew each other until old age and death. The Qin State also enacted laws to restrict people from wandering around without their household registration, which was called "loitering crime". I don't know if Ji Ying will still be with Ji Ying in the future. , Dongmen Bao and others have a chance to meet again...

This house will usher in a new batch of new soldiers tomorrow. Maybe they will also be named Guishi, but the "Guishi" belonging to Heifu will only be on this day in October of the 21st year of the Qin Dynasty. branch!

Thinking of this, the joy of having the opportunity to be the director of the pavilion was diluted a lot.

Heifu half-heartedly pushed open the broken door of the hut. Unexpectedly, a shadow jumped out of the dark hole inside!

It screamed strangely, opened its teeth and claws, and rushed towards Hei Fu!