Qin Official

Unknowingly, since Heifu returned from serving in the county, he first received a title, a reward, and subsidized the family's income; and then he was appointed as the pavilion chief, which would greatly improve the family's status, and also give him a surprise admission. Also seek a better future.

On weekdays, Heifu is also busy, making pots and pounding rice cakes. If he didn't really care about his family, he wouldn't do these things...

Nowadays, Hei Fu has become the backbone of the whole family, and even Zhong, who is the eldest brother, feels that he is right to listen to him.

That night, Zhong said a lot of things, but in the end they all came together in one sentence from the bottom of his heart.

"Brother Zhong will be busy outside with peace of mind from now on. Mom and Jing at home will take good care of my brother!"

With Big Brother's words, Hei Fu felt relieved.

After the winter solstice, the days are getting shorter and shorter. Fortunately, this era is in a warm period. There are thousands of acres of bamboo forests on both sides of the Yellow River. Rhinoceros can even be seen in Shanglin Garden south of the Weishui River. After crossing the Yangtze River, there are elephants. Infestation... Nanjun can also be considered a subtropical climate. Generally speaking, it does not snow, but there is still some frost and dew in the morning and evening.

But no matter what the weather is like, Heifu will get up early in the morning, wake up Jing on the other side, pick some commonly used words and teach him so that Jing can memorize them.

He himself was stepping on the treadmill to pound a day's rations for his family, while holding the copied bamboo slips and reading in the dim morning light...

While reading and pounding, Hei Fu suddenly laughed out loud.

"In the future, if I become prosperous and this story spreads, I wonder if it can be compared with Su Qin's head, cantilever, cone and buttocks, and become a typical inspirational story, which can be used by many middle school students in their compositions... It's called 'Treading the Rhythm of Treading' how?"

Thinking of this, Heifu couldn't help laughing and read even more enthusiastically, but the sound of reading loudly was buried in the sound of pounding rice. Even the neighbors didn't know that he was preparing for the pavilion chief's examination.

…

In this way, by late November, Heifu had memorized the eight laws by heart, and asked his eldest brother Zhong to help him read the original text. He could quickly recite the rest of the text by picking a paragraph at random.

The next day, Heifu went to Yan's house in Banli again, and when he recited the entire "Stealing Law" in front of Yan Zheng, Yan Zheng was shocked...

"Young man, it only took you about ten days to memorize all eight verses!?"

Yan Zheng felt a little incredible. He had taught in a school in the past and had seen similar smart disciples who could memorize proficiently after just a few days of reading. But those disciples were civil servants for generations, and they had been familiar with the laws and regulations since childhood. But Hei Fu was different. His ancestors were farmers, and when he first came to Yanzhai for advice, he didn't know anything about the laws and regulations.

Heifu wanted to tell Yan Zheng that if he had also experienced the outrageous task of reciting the entire text in high school Chinese class, this simple rule would actually be nothing. Besides, the police academy also has judicial courses. Compared with the complex and lengthy clauses of later generations of law, Qin Law is already very concise and to the point. After all, this is the nascent era of law...

In the end, Yan Zheng could only attribute this to Heifu's intelligence, and felt that he was a talent that could be made.

In the past few days, Yan Zheng also asked his disciples who were officials in the county to inquire. It was indeed true that Heifu was recruited as the chief of the pavilion. It is said that in addition to the right lieutenant of the county, even the jailer Xi also admired this person. Yan Zheng suddenly felt that it was right for him to accept Heifu's Shu Xiu as his disciple and teach him the laws.

So in the next few days, Yan Zheng asked Heifu to go to Banli every day, and the old man dedicated half a day to teach Heifu how to deal with the assessment of the chief official.

"The chief official will not let you recite the laws and regulations on the spot."

Yan Zhen said while chewing the rice cake offered as a gift by Hei Fu. The food is sun-dried and fried in oil, which makes it very crispy and not as sticky as when it is freshly made. And even though Yan Zheng is sixty years old, he is in very good health. It is said that he just married a concubine the year before last. She is only a little older than his little granddaughter. She is really amazing...

"How will you take the exam?" Heifu asked humbly.

"When the time comes, he will ask you questions. Most of the questions will be about the clauses in these eight laws. They will only be specific to actual cases and let you make decisions."

Yan Zheng asked his concubine to pass the cloth, wiped his mouth and said, "For example, the chief official will ask you, 'A falsely accuses B of stealing cattle, but B does not steal, so what does A have to say?'"

"A person who is falsely accused will be punished for the crime of cattle theft!"

Heifu subconsciously said the answer. False accusations are false. This is not only the content in "The Stealing Law", but also a case he has personally experienced.

"Let me ask you again, how do you deal with someone who steals other people's mulberry leaves and the stolen goods are worth less than a penny?"

Heifu thought for a while and said: "Sulberry is the root of agriculture. Anyone who steals mulberry should be severely punished and sentenced to thirty days of corvee service!"

"good."

Yan Zheng praised: "Not only have you memorized the laws and regulations, but you have also mastered them well. When I find out the places where mistakes are easy to make in the laws and regulations, you will be familiar with them. On the first day of the twelfth lunar month, you should not be able to trouble yourself with the problems of the chief officials. .”

…

From that day on, Heifu began to visit Yan Zhang in Banli every day. To the people from Tongli he met on the road, he just smiled and said that he was visiting friends, and did not disclose it to anyone. The family also listened to his words and kept the matter secret, so no one else knew about it.

When Heifu first came back, the people here were still a little afraid of him. After all, he had the reputation of being able to capture three thieves. But slowly, they found that Heifu greeted everyone politely when he saw him. The strange feeling among everyone also disappeared. He slowly dispersed and regarded him as the boy next door whom he had watched grow up.

On the contrary, the women in the village began to spread rumors that Heifu might have fallen in love with someone's girl in the plaque, so he went there every day...

But the inner prison gate guarding the inner gate seems to have seen some clues. Whenever Hei Fu comes back, the old man named "Pu" will smile meaningfully at Hei Fu and often pull him to chat.

As they talked, they talked about the past when Heifu's cheap daddy was still alive, and he and Li Jianmen went to the battlefield to serve together.

"Your father and I were both sworn warriors. We held spears and bled together. My leg was pierced by an enemy soldier's sword in front of him. Fortunately, your father killed the enemy soldier, otherwise my old My life will be ruined in Wei..."

After the old man in the prison gate finished sighing with emotion, he limped off to serve hot soup to Hei Fu. He also said that he had watched the three Hei Fu brothers grow up.

"If you don't mind, you can call me Father Zhong, hahaha..."

Hei Fu smiled and said nothing. Although what the prison gate said was true, during the years when their family was in decline after the death of the cheap father, why didn't the prison gate help this man who was "closer than his biological father-in-law"?

It's hard to give someone a helping hand when it's time, but it's easy to put the icing on the cake. Hei Fu's heart is clear.

The reason why the Lijianmen suddenly became affectionate to him was simply because there were two men in his family. Heifu also gained a reputation in the county, and he might be used by the Lijianmen in the future.

Heifu knew that although there were only a few dozen families in this sunset, the "political struggle" inside was quite complicated. As early as the Chu State, there were only three small families of scholars in this area, and the rest were common people. After Anlu was ruled by Qin, the three families of scholars transformed into Lijianmen, Lizheng, and Tiandian. These three positions have been passed down from father to son for two or three generations.

Among the three, the Rizheng and Tiandian families are closer and have greater authority, while the Rijianmen family is slightly squeezed out. However, Li Jianmen had made meritorious service on the battlefield, and his title was the third-level "hairpin", which was the highest among the people. This made the lame old man feel unwilling to be inferior to others, and felt that he might be able to take his place and fight for it. The position of Li Zheng...

The appointment and dismissal of the three minor officials here depends on two things. One is whether they have connections in the countryside, and the other is whether they have enough financial resources and reputation in the village. If all the nobles in the village go to the countryside to recommend one person To be honest, it is not impossible to replace him. Therefore, the Heifu family, which has two ministers and has a grudge against Li Zheng, will of course try its best to win over them.

"You can sing the Romance of the Three Kingdoms in such a small place?"

After understanding Li Jianmen's thoughts, Heifu felt a little funny, but when he thought about the several village committee elections he had witnessed in his previous life, he couldn't laugh anymore.

Many rural areas in the new century are also places as big as the palm of your hand. With more than a hundred households, a small village committee election can create a battle like the US election. Each family competes for the best. Isn't it exciting? Real people give it a try. He gained experience...

In this regard, Heifu could only complain...

"The little demon in the temple is strong, but there are many bastards in Chi Qian!"

But Heifu doesn't want to care about these nonsense at all now. He has his own serious things to worry about.

…

Day after day, November is about to pass, and the first day of the twelfth lunar month is getting closer and closer, and Heifu's legal question and answer training at Yan Yin's house is getting more and more in-depth.

At this time, he also began to rejoice in his respectful attitude towards Yan Zheng, because there are indeed many small traps in these laws and regulations, and it is really possible to fall into them if you just recite the original text without any guidance.

For example, when dealing with the crime of sliding a door to pick a lock, the law of thieves simply writes "Judgment (yuè), should be redeemed for tattoo", but in actual practice, there are many ways to judge it:

If the purpose of picking the door lock is to steal, leaving without being able to pick it, or being seized without being able to pick it, is also considered a crime and should be redeemed.

If the purpose of prying the door key is not to steal, it will only be considered as prying if it has been opened. If it is not opened, you will be punished with a second degree...

There is nothing to say about the completed crime. If it is attempted, then whether the criminal has a subjective and intentional "desire" will become the criterion for sentencing.

Although Heifu never understood it, the purpose of picking the locks of other people's houses was not to steal, so what exactly was he trying to do? Could it be that he came in to help you check the water meter?

In short, as the question and answer exercises progressed, Heifu became familiar with these rules bit by bit, and was not limited to memorizing the original text. His understanding of Qin's laws and regulations is no longer limited to the word "strict".

As an old official, Yan Zheng also has his own understanding of this.

He said that the government of a king should not rush into thieves. What is a thief? Those who steal goods are called thieves, and those who harm good people are called thieves.

Qin's laws treat thieves and thieves very seriously, and the punishments are extremely cruel. Although heavy laws should be used in troubled times, they have some effects.

In the inland counties, murder and robbery are gradually decreasing or even disappearing. Every night in the ten miles and eight villages is as quiet as a familiar sleep. Even the barking of dogs sounds so natural and lazy. If such a life can be spread throughout the world, this will be The greatest royal government.

Hei Fu nodded in agreement. These days, the people's understanding of a peaceful world is as simple as that. It doesn't need to be so gorgeous, and it doesn't have too many luxuries.

Of course, it would be better if the rents and taxes in Qin were lighter and the corvee was less.

But Heifu knew that this was impossible. Their king was a man with extremely strong desires. Even if the world was unified, there would still be many big projects and great expeditions launched one after another. Rental tax cannot be light, and corvee labor will become heavier and heavier until a roar from Daze Township breaks the world into pieces...

But those who are far away from the black husband are far away from the fashion. If they are successful, they can help the world, and if they are poor, they can only take care of themselves. At present, they are only taking care of their own family.

Finally, at the end of the month, Heifu also met the criteria for becoming a military official. Yan Zheng said that with his current proficiency in laws and regulations, it was enough for him to become a civil servant in the county.

"Master Hei will never forget your kindness."

In Yan Zhai's study, Heifu bowed to him again, showing his gratitude to Yan Zheng.

Although Yan Zheng is a bit powerful, he is actually a pretty good person. He has been teaching him carefully these days. The incident of the former being arrogant and the latter being Gong on the first day was treated as if it had never happened.

At the same time, he also asked about something that he had hidden in his heart for a long time but never asked.

"I dare to ask Master, if someone can donate some kind of equipment to the government, which can make rice pounding twice the result with half the effort, will it be regarded as meritorious service and be rewarded?"