Han official!

Chapter 115 Loyalty
The layout of the Chang'an official temple is south yamen and north prison. Chang'an prison, one of the 28 prisons in Zhongdu, is located to the north of the Chang'an official temple. Next to it is the labor prison where prisoners were imprisoned, as well as storage warehouses and granaries.

Chang'an Prison was surrounded by a circle of high walls, which were impossible to climb over by human power alone. In addition, there were prison clerks patrolling back and forth. Without a letter from Chang'an Wei Zhang Tang, no one could leave Chang'an Prison.

Inside the Chang'an prison, Yin Qi dug a cellar called the Tiger's Den, covered with large bluestones. It was the torture tiger's den that made the people of Chang'an shudder.

"Mr. Guo."

Yin Qi couldn't wait to put the Zhu Du clan members into the tiger's den, and said happily: "I am going to put the Zhu Du clan members of the Western Road into the tiger's den, do you want to come and watch?"

Watch?

Hundreds of people in each group suffocated to death in the tiger's den.

Not only was Yin Qi's face filled with joy, he also invited Guo Jie to go with him, and even mentioned the word "watch".

Guo Jie shook his head, thinking of the perverted movies that were only filmed abroad, Jigsaw in Saw, and Hannibal.

These two perverts are considered younger brothers in front of Yin Qi, and Yin Qi can be regarded as their ancestor.

"never mind."

Guo Jie made up an excuse and evaded the question, saying, "There's a lot of official business to be done at the county government office. I've been away for a few days, and there's a backlog of bamboo slips. I'd better get back and deal with it as soon as possible."

Yin Qi was filled with regret and could only watch Guo Jie leave. He went alone to watch the Zhu Du people in the tiger's den, where they died miserably.

Among the people who returned from Shuqi, Yi Zong left with Zhang Tang, Wei Guang went home to see Madam Jia, and Wei Junru went to Princess Pingyang's main room.

Normally, only Mang Tong is by his side.

There is one more Insect Emperor Rou today.

Guo Jie rode a Hexi horse and took a military official and ten material officers to the county residence and official temple. Because the official temple was located in the east part, it passed by the Sima Gate of the palace city.

Chang'an has three city walls. One is the outer wall on the south bank of the Wei River, the second is the city wall of Chang'an, and the third is the palace city of Weiyang Palace.

The palace city has four walls, with a gate on each side, called Sima Gate, also known as Gongche Sima Gate.

The Sima Commander is in charge of guarding Sima Gate. The current commander is Dongfang Shuo, and he has a group of shadowy soldiers under him.

In addition to the four Sima gates, the palace also has fourteen side gates, which are side gates or small gates.

Guo Jie rode his horse past the North Sima Gate. The road in front of the gate was Zhichengmen Avenue. Ministers who came to submit memorials often entered the palace through the North Sima Gate.

There are double gates outside the North Sima Gate, so it is also called "Shangshu Yi Beique".

There were many red double-wheeled carriages parked at the Shuangque Gate. The carriages of high-ranking officials with a rank of two thousand stones, which were rare, became common at the Bei Sima Gate. The palace guards had to check the official's seal before they could enter the palace.

Going around the rammed earth palace wall is the East Sima Gate, which is opposite the west gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion and is also the main gate of the palace. The emperor entered and exited the palace through the East Sima Gate, and the princes also passed through this gate when they came to pay homage. There was a fence outside the gate.

At the west gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion, several guests knelt in the closed carriage, opened the windows, and watched Guo Jie riding his horse past the East Sima Gate and heading towards the county residence and official temple in the east.

Du Junao was also a guest of Prime Minister Dou Ying. He pondered and said, "If the Maoling magistrate wants to take the lead, he should clip Zhao Yu's wings. Yin Qi, Wang Wenshu, and Guo Jie cannot stay in the Chang'an official temple."

Although the cruel officials Yin Qi and Wang Wenshu had a closer relationship with Zhao Yu.

But in Du Junao's view, Guo Jie posed the greatest threat because he was the one Zhao Yu relied on the most.

The Maoling Lingling official flicked the sleeves of his embroidered robe with a look of indifference: "Yin Qi, Wang Wenshu, and Guo Jie are just minor county officials. I am the chief official of the mausoleum. If I were to fight with them, I would lower my status and become a laughing stock if the news got out."

Ah.

Especially the so-called Chang'an hero Guo Jie.

How could a mere knight be targeted by the Maoling Magistrate personally? Above Guo Jie was Zhang Tang, and above Zhang Tang was Zhao Yu.

Make things difficult for Guo Jie?

It's just degrading!

The Maoling magistrate would only fight with Zhao Yu, or at least Zhang Tang, so how could he make things difficult for Guo Jie?

"Of course."

Du Junao agreed deeply: "Guo Jie is just a knife in Zhao Yu's hand. It's not worth the Maoling Ling to make things difficult for him. However, my original intention is to break the three knives in Zhao Yu's hand. Zhao Yu is a tiger without teeth."

He revealed his true intention: "Compared to the two cruel officials Yin Qi and Wang Wenshu, Guo Jie has no thief catchers or prison officials under his command, and has no authority to arrest thieves in Chang'an. Instead, he can gather some county and township elders and run to the North Sima Gate, the palace gate, to protest their injustice and accuse Guo Jie of bringing his knights to harm the people."

Crying out for justice at the palace gate!
Maoling Ling couldn't help but tremble in his heart.

It’s really a good idea.

The Maoling Ling Ling nodded repeatedly. "Whether it's Yin Qi, Wang Wenshu, or Guo Jie, as long as they break the knife in Zhao Yu's hand, he will be heartbroken. You are right. Guo Jie is the governor of the county and can only manage the affairs of the county. He can't call in the only thief catcher in Chang'an who can arrest people."

The lieutenant and the commander of the imperial carriages are in the army. They will only arrest people under the order of the emperor when something big happens.

The thief catcher is a police officer, and in the capital Chang'an, only the police have the power to enforce the law.

It is also the only violent agency in the capital that can arrest people.

Yu Xiaoshi is a prison guard.

Police officers such as the thief catcher are responsible for arresting people, while prison guards are responsible for detaining them. The two belong to a closed-loop violent organization.

Du Junao said sternly, "The county elders and township elders of Maoling and Baling are not allowed to enter Chang'an through the Anmen Gate in the south or the Zhicheng Gate in the west. It is best to enter Chang'an through the Hengmen Gate in the north."

South of Anmen Street is Zhangtai Street.

To the west of Chengmen Street is Gao Street.

To the north of Hengmen Street is Huayang Street.

Maoling Ling was confused and asked, "Why is this?"

The gatekeeper of Anmen and Zhichengmen was just a gatekeeper. He could stop common people from entering Chang'an, but he could not stop the three elders of the county and the three elders of the township.

Du Junao explained the reason: "Guo Jie was once the chief of the Gaojie District Office. He has good relations with the local thieves and detectives. The thieves and detectives who assaulted the three elders of Chang'an County were dozens of them from Zhangtai Street. If they pass through the streets between these two gates, they might be stopped by the thieves and detectives."

Compared with the capital city of Chang'an, which had sixteen districts, it was divided into eight districts by eight streets and nine alleys.

Each street is a district, and the deputy thieves and the police officers are equivalent to the chief and police officers in charge of the block.

The Maoling Magistrate said happily, "You are very thorough in your work. When I am promoted to the position of Right Internal History, I will not break my promise to the County Cao of the Du family of Ba Ling. You and I are one."

Du Junao and the three elders of the county all have the surname Du, but they are not from the same clan.

Du Junao is from the Du family of Ba Ling.

The three elders of the county are the Du brothers of the Western Road.

"in addition."

The Maoling Ling said in a deep voice: "Only you and I know about this matter. Before the three elders of the county and the three elders of the township arrive at the palace gate, no third person can know about it, so as to avoid leaks." Du Junao nodded in agreement and would not tell this to any third person.

Little did they know that the servants in the carriage of the Maoling magistrate were frequent visitors to Wei Guang's mansion. The servants, who were often beaten and scolded by the Maoling magistrate, could only be treated equally and live like human beings in Wei Guang's mansion.

The servant's heart tightened. In order to avoid being noticed by the Maoling magistrate, he tried to slow down his breathing. When the emperor's carriage returned to Maoling, he immediately rushed to Wei Guang's house and told him the news he had heard.

"Shuzi!"

Wei Guang was furious and rode his horse to the county seat, Changguan Temple. No young man from the Five Tombs was allowed to ride a horse in Chang'an, only the Tiqi could ride a horse.

The servant returned to Maoling and then rushed back to Chang'an, wasting a lot of time.

The county elders and township elders of Maoling and Baling have rushed to Hengmen in Chang'an.

Fortunately, Wei Guang was a cavalryman of the Imperial Guards. He rode to the official temple and found Guo Jie, who was sitting there processing official documents. He said urgently, "Brother, this is bad. Du Jun'ao has summoned the three elders of the county and the township to go to the palace gate to appeal for justice."

At the palace gate!
Guo Jie's heart trembled.

He remembered that he died at the palace gate while crying out for justice.

How come this day came earlier than recorded in history?

There is 75% left in the process of buying a title to atone for your sins.

Guo Jie calmly asked, "Which gate did these county elders and township elders enter Chang'an from, and which street did they pass through?"

He had bribed the thief catchers in Gao Street, Zhangtai Street, and Huayang Street. As long as he passed through these three streets on his way to the palace, he would be able to stop the three elders of the county and the three elders of the township.

Wei Guang recalled the servant's words, and a look of joy appeared on his face: "The servant in the imperial carriage said that it seemed to be from Huayang Street. Yes, it was from Huayang Street to the palace gate."

Huayang Street?
Guo Jie laughed.

He stood up from his seat and ordered, "Go and get the Hexi horse from the stables, and let's go to Huayang Street together."

The number of lili in the eight streets and nine mos is different. Gao Street has fewer lili, only more than ten, because it has the residences of barbarians and occupies a lot of residential land.

There are more lili in Huayang Street, with a total of more than fifteen lili. Most of the thieves and police officers live in Chang'an lili, relying on meager salaries to support their families. Their wives and daughters often go to the workshops in the West Market to weave cloth and work to earn some corn.

Regardless of the weather, the father and son of the thief Bu Gan went to the small room in Disheguili to pound rice. They lifted the heavy pestle and pounded the rice in exchange for some corn.

The houses are divided into Jiadi and Yidi. Jiadi is the large house where marquises live, and Yidi is the small house where high-ranking officials with the rank of 2,000 stones live.

Although the thief catcher was just a minor official who earned a living, the city of Chang'an was filled with government offices such as the Nine Ministers, and the minor officials who earned a living were too insignificant. However, the high-ranking officials in the small mansions were still willing to do some favors for the thief catcher.

The thief catcher was the only petty official in Chang'an who was responsible for arresting people. Even high-ranking officials with a salary of two thousand stones would encounter some rogue old men and women over seventy years old, wanderers who asked for small amounts of money, and neighbors who were causing trouble.

Although the allowance for pounding rice in the small room was slightly higher, it was still enough to barely make ends meet.

Today, the thief and police officer living in the common people's neighborhood has already had his afternoon meal twice a day. Smoke is rising from his home, and there is an enticing aroma of meat.

Several thieves from Huayang Street went home together. The thieves who lived near Lumen went home first, and smoke and the smell of meat rose from their houses.

Several other thieves entered the house, deliberately carrying a piece of cut pork on their backs and greeting the neighbors.

"Zhongfu, your son hasn't returned from the official temple in Dongzhiling yet. I wonder how much pork he can bring back today."

"Where did you get the pork? And a whole pig? My son works in the Ministry of Finance, one of the Nine Ministers. He can only get two or three ounces of pork by exchanging discarded silk. How could you have half a pig?"

"Haha, I'm just a small thief catcher, how can I compare with the officials of the Shaofu Dongzhiling? This pork was given to me by the hero Guo Jie of Bianhu."

The East Weaving Order was an official position under the Nine Ministers and the Lesser Treasure, in charge of the East Weaving Room, which weaved clothes for the palace. Every ten days or so, some silk would be wasted, and each clerk in the East Weaving Room would receive some of it and go to the East Market to exchange it for a few ounces of pork to take home.

Zhongfu was the second brother of the thief-catching Ganfu.

The two families had a bad relationship and once had a fight because Zhongfu forcibly occupied a piece of residential land in front of Zeibu Gan's house.

Zhongfu relied on the fact that he was the second elder brother and slapped the thief-catching Ganfu in public.

The two families became estranged. Zhongfu often took advantage of the fact that his son was an official under Dongzhiling and brought home a few pounds of pork every now and then, mocking the thief catcher for not being able to support his family.

When Zhongfu saw the half-skewer of pork, his eyes widened. He wiped his saliva with the sleeve of his linen jacket, licked his face and smiled, saying, "Zhongfu's grandson, your nephew, hasn't eaten meat in a few days. Can you cut off a pig's trotter for me? I don't want more, just one."

The thief's father, mother, wife and son heard the noise and stood at the door, all with angry faces. They glared at Zhongfu and secretly called him shameless.

"Pooh!"

The thief, Bugan, spat at Zhongfu, who was standing next to the catalpa tree, and sneered, "You're thinking of being family now. What were you doing before? You even want pig's trotters! Pah! When your family eats meat, you don't even give my son a piece of meat."

He turned his head and looked at his parents, wife and children, feeling a surge of sadness and excitement in his heart.

The thief's eyes were slightly red. "Father, Mother, on the open cart at the gate of the village, there is half a pig's loin, ten bunches of scallions, over a hundred pounds of salt, and ten jars of vinegar donated by Mr. Guo. Go and bring them back."

Zhongfu was stunned.

I never thought that a mere food-fighting official could have such an astonishing amount of meat and vegetables.

Zhongfu watched as bundles of leeks and jars of vinegar were moved from Hongmen into the alley and then into Jidi's house across the street.

Zhongfu's face was full of regret.

My intestines are full of regret.

The thief catcher was given a pig. After killing the pig, there was a lot of pig blood, pig intestines, pig lungs and other pig offal left. He took out some and distributed them to neighbors with whom he had a good relationship.

But I didn’t give any to Zhongfu.

Zhongfu's family almost fainted from anger.

The thief's house became lively. The neighbors who got the pig's offal sent some wild vegetables and eggs as return gifts, so they would not take advantage of it for nothing.

"Dong dong!"

The military officer, holding a scroll of bamboo slips, knocked on the door of the thief-catching Gan's house and said solemnly, "The three elders of the county and the three elders of the township are preparing to go to the palace gate to complain about Mr. Guo. They are passing by Huayang Street. Consider whether you want to go and beat him up."

"go with!"

The thief-captor suddenly stood up, gripping the wooden club at his waist tightly, and roared in anger: "How dare this little official forget Mr. Guo's kindness? I will definitely swing six or seven times to beat those troublemakers to death!"

The thief was escorted out of the house by his parents, wife, and children, and they walked out of the house, through the main gate, and all the way to the gate of the neighborhood.

As his parents, wife and children watched him go, the thief catcher Gan strode forward with a big club in his hand and ran towards Huayang Street.

A military official and a material officer knocked on the door of the thief-catching Gan's house with bamboo slips.

A thief catcher, holding a wooden club, strode wildly towards Huayang Street.

The thief catchers from Huayang Street stood on the street with ferocious looks on their faces, blocking the road from Huayang Street leading to the palace gate.

(End of this chapter)