Han official!

Chapter 151 Accounting Book
Townships are divided into urban townships and remote townships.

The seat of government of a township is often in the county town.

Lixiang, the township outside the county town is called Lixiang.

Some large villages have city walls, and are called the village name plus the city.

Pingshan Township is a large rural area with a government seat called Pingshan City.

The head of a large township is called Youzhi Sefu, or Youzhi for short.

The head of the small village is a miser.

The officials of Youzhi and Sefu had deputies, called Zuo, also known as Xiangzuo.

There should also be a township historian who is responsible for paperwork.

There are pavilions and villages in the countryside. The head of a pavilion is called a pavilion chief, and the head of a village is called a village official.

During the Houming period (4:30-5:15), before daybreak, a group of six people, riding Hexi horses, were on their way to the small town of Pingshan Township.

Guo Jie, Mang Tong, Chong Huangrou, An Guo Shaoji, Yan Yi and Su Jia went to Pingshan Township together to search for the whereabouts of Su Jia's wife Yao Ji. The chief accountant needed to leave one person behind to handle official business, so he left Su Jian in the official temple.

Yi Zong is still the most important backup. According to the agreed time, he asked the thief Cao Yinqi to go to Pingshan Township together.

Guo Jie rode on a Hexi horse, holding the reins, and gave instructions to everyone in a deep voice.

"My dear brothers, remember this: this tour must be conducted in secret. When you reach Pingshan Township, you must cover your face with a cloth. Remember, you and I are both Confucian disciples of Yan Yi. We are traveling with Yan Yi, imitating Confucius. We must not let the Yao family of the North Road discover our true identities, at least not before we find Yao Ji. This will prevent the Yao family from taking the risk and killing Yao Ji."

Su Jia's heart tightened.

He knew very well that Yao Youzhi, who had wiped out the entire family, was capable of committing such a heinous act as to kill Yao Ji.

As long as Yao Youzhi killed Yao Ji, he could completely swallow up the land left by Ji Di.

Guo Jie rode his Hexi horse and galloped along the road, staring at Fangxin of Pingshan Township with heavy thoughts.

Yao Youzhi, the patriarch of the Yao family in Beidao, dared to wipe out the entire family, especially his own niece Yao Ji. This man has no bottom line at all. He would do anything to cover up his crime.

I’m afraid Yao Youzhi will kill Yao Ji!
Last time, a powerful man's property was confiscated. He took advantage of Chong Huangrou's identity as a guest and has been using the guest to cover up his true identity. Sooner or later, he will be exposed.

This time, with Yan Yi, the tenth-generation grandson of Yan Zi, there was another disguise to cover up his identity. With the help of Yan Yi's disciples, he could confuse the public and mix the disciples with the guests, so he didn't have to worry about being exposed.

Su Jia said anxiously, "Master, a few days ago, we arrested Yao Youzhi's son Yao Luren and several members of the Yao clan. Will this cause Yao Youzhi to be dissatisfied and plot to murder Yao Ji?"

"No need to worry."

Guo Jie noticed his disciple Su Jia's uneasiness and offered comfort, "Yao Youzhi didn't know his son had died in a tiger's den. He lied and said he was taken to the East Market Prison. If it were any other prison, he could probably bribe the clerks to get the information. The clerks at the East Market Prison are all grateful to their master and won't leak any information. Yao Youzhi was so anxious that he was trying to find a way to smooth things over and rescue Yao Luren. He didn't have the time to murder Yao Ji."

"That's good."

Su Jia secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but was still uneasy, wishing he could grow a pair of wings and fly to Pingshan Township.

He gritted his teeth and said, "If Yao Ji makes the slightest mistake, I will personally turn Yao Youzhi into a human pig, subjecting him to every cruel torture of the tyrannical Qin Dynasty, and then let him die in agony. At that time, I will not live in humiliation and will commit suicide in front of Yao Ji's grave."

Yan Yi comes from a wealthy family and has been practicing horse riding since he was a child. He has mastered superb riding skills and is more stable on horseback than Chong Huangrou.

He had been observing the people gathered around Guo Jie.

The person Yan Yi values most is Su Jia.

He also took a fancy to Su Jia.

It’s a pity that he had already regarded Guo Jie as his mentor.

Otherwise, Yan Yi, who wanted to recruit disciples, would take the initiative to accept Su Jia as his disciple.

Guo Jie glanced at Su Jia, seeming to be thinking about something.

The future trend is to promote Confucianism as the only doctrine. The status of Confucianism will rise sharply, and Yan Zi's status will also increase dramatically. If Su Jia becomes Yan Yi's disciple, it will be a good thing for Su Jia.

Guo Jie was his martial arts instructor.

Yan Yi was his literary teacher.

The prerequisite is that Su Jia is willing, but given Su Jia's personality, he probably won't agree.

Guo Jie looked at Su Jia, the little tail following closely behind him, and laughed silently, and the heaviness in his heart dispelled a lot.

"Speed up the horses and arrive at Huaili County as soon as possible during the morning feast (12:45-13:30). Then, turn around and head to Pingshan Township in Huaili County to find out how much of the five-million-dollar fortune the powerful Yao family has concealed!"

The time period from 20:15 to 21:00 was called Rending in the Western Han Dynasty, which means that at this time the villagers had stopped their activities and were ready to rest, and all the villages became quiet.

The gates of the small town in Pingshan Township have been closed. The closing time is not fixed, usually around dusk, and must be closed before dark at the latest to prevent sudden attacks by bandits.

The township government seat has rammed earth walls, a solid gate, and a school inside the gate.

The school is the main room on both sides of the gate.

Further ahead is the courtyard, and in the courtyard there is a hall.

The township hall has a front hall and rear bedroom structure. The front hall is the office area, the rear bedroom is the living area, and there are official residences.

Inside the official residence, a continuous lamp was lit. Yao Youzhi had not yet rested, but was walking back and forth impatiently, looking outside the door from time to time.

Just as Yao Youzhi was becoming increasingly impatient, a figure in a cloth robe appeared in the official residence. He looked around, saw that there was no one around, and walked into the official residence.

"How is it?"

When Yao Youzhi saw his second brother, Yao Xiangzuo, walk in, he anxiously asked, "Did you bring the account book submitted to Huaili County?"

"Haha, it's just a small matter, brother, there's no need to be so anxious."

Yao Xiangzuo was a middle-aged man in his forties, with a dark face and a long beard. He wore a cloth robe worth 1,400 coins. He held a few scrolls of wooden tablets in his hands and reeked of alcohol.

Yao Youzhi smelled the alcohol and was furious. "How many times have I told you not to drink when it comes to the important matters I assigned you? You just won't listen. Otherwise, I would have returned to the township government before dark. I wouldn't have waited until everyone arrived. I would have burned the account books long ago."

Drinking makes things worse.

Last year, during a report, the second younger brother, Yao Xiangzuo, got drunk and mistakenly reported the ages of dozens of concubines that Yao Shi from Beidao had concealed.

All of them are the daughters of the clan who have paid the five taxes.

If the recorder in Huaili County who was in charge of organizing the documents was not a member of the Yao family, he would have taken leave today to go home and point out the errors and omissions in the account book.

Yao Youzhi was still kept in the dark.

Today he specially called all the clan members back and rewrote the account book, preparing to have the recorder take it back to replace the original account book of the county official temple.

However, the old account book needs to be retrieved.

Yao Youzhi arranged for Yao Xiangzuo to go to the county temple, bribe the county chief clerk, and bring back the old account book.

Unexpectedly, Yao Xiangzuo was drinking again.

Yao Youzhi's eyes were blazing with fire as he stared at the drunk Yao Xiangzuo, wishing he could beat him severely with a whip.

"If you don't drink, and you entertain the county chief clerk, how can you bring back the account book?"

Yao Xiangzuo noticed his brother's look and trembled in his heart. He quickly tried to explain, "I went to the county clerk and told him I had bought the account book. He kept making excuses and refused to give in. Finally, I went to the market and got him drunk. Only then was I able to get the account book back."

He was a drunkard who didn't want to work all day and stayed in the ammunition room of the township government, drinking.

This time, when they went to Huaili County, they bribed the county chief clerk. Yao Xiangzuo had already obtained the account book and insisted on dragging the county chief clerk to the market to drink.

Because before Yao Xiangzuo left Pingshan Township, Yao Youzhi said that all expenses would be paid for by the clan.

Yao Xiangzuo had a rare opportunity to drink without paying, so he dragged the county chief clerk to drink until they were dead, from the afternoon until dark.

It delayed the whole afternoon.

Otherwise, Yao Youzhi would have burned the old account books long ago. Yao Youzhi, unaware of the true situation, was deceived and his expression softened slightly. "Go get the cauldron. Forget it. I'll go to the kitchen myself and burn the old account books with the errors and omissions."

"host."

Yao Youzhi had just walked to the kitchen door with the old account book when a young servant came towards him in a hurry.

The slave bowed and said, "A man who calls himself Yan Yi was traveling around the counties with several disciples. When he passed through Pingshan Township, it was getting dark, and he wanted to stay overnight at the township government."

Yan Yi!

Yan Zi’s tenth generation grandson!

Yao Youzhi was startled, but soon he was overjoyed. "Please invite him in quickly! No, I'll go to the gate myself to greet Mr. Yan. May our ancestors bless us, and such a great fortune befall the Yao family of Beidao! Hurry, call all the chefs and prepare the feast!"

As long as one member of the Yao family in Beidao becomes Yan Yi's disciple.

In the future, at least one Zhongdu official will appear from the Yao family of Beidao.

With the power of the Zhongdu officials, several more county magistrates can emerge.

Yao Youzhi didn't bother to continue burning the account book. He threw it to Yao Xiangzuo and said, "Don't go to the kitchen. After all the chefs come here, there will be too many people and too many eyes. Take the account book to the guest room. Remember! Burn these scrolls before going to bed."

Yao Xiangzuo glanced at Yao Youzhi who was leaving in a hurry, and did not take his words to heart. He walked away alone.

He did not follow Yao Youzhi's instructions to go to the guest room and burn the account book, but turned and went to the small room next to the cow pen.

Yao Ji was imprisoned in the Ox Prison.

"Hiccup~"

Yao Xiangzuo opened the ox pen and said drunkenly, "Go to the kitchen and get a few pounds of dog meat. Cook a meal for Zhongfu to go with his wine. Don't even think about running away. The gate of the township government is closed. You can't escape. Besides, even if you go to Huaili County to complain that Youzhi is not allowing you to get married, the Huaili magistrate will ignore you. He won't offend the Yao family of the North Road just because of you."

Yao Ji has a unique skill.

Good at cooking dog meat.

Very delicious.

The dog is one of the six domestic animals.

A daily meat dish.

Yao Xiangzuo used to like to drink with the dog meat prepared by Yao Ji.

Ever since Yao Ji was imprisoned by Yao Youzhi, she has never had the chance to eat dog meat, which made Yao Xiangzuo very greedy.

Tonight, Yao Youzhi went to entertain a distinguished guest, and Yao Xiangzuo finally found an opportunity.

Yao Ji had a small, pretty face and was very thin. She lived a hard life and wore a coarse cloth skirt, but it was washed very cleanly.

She looks delicate and weak, but she is actually a strong-willed lady.

"only."

Yao Ji went to the kitchen and took out a few pounds of dog meat and a copper cauldron, preparing to cook the dog meat with the straw from the cowshed.

She looked at the pile of hay next to the cowshed, her eyes gradually becoming determined. She was ready to burn the hay and most of the township government office as a burial object.

Yao Ji knew that she had no way to survive and did not want to be defiled before her death.

"this is for you."

Yao Xiangzuo threw the account book aside, lay down on the straw and drank, and said drunkenly: "Take these wooden tablets as dry firewood, burn them all, and use them to cook dog meat."

Burned?

Yao Ji could read and write, and after just a few glances, she immediately understood what these wooden scrolls meant.

Evidence!

Evidence that is enough to make the Yao family in Beidao pay a heavy price.

Yao Ji didn't want to die.

"Hulu--Hulu--"

Yao Xiangzuo, who was waiting to eat dog meat, lay on the straw and fell into a deep sleep.

Yao Ji walked over, took a closer look, and took the dagger from Yao Xiangzuo's waist.

Holding bloody raw dog meat in one hand and a dagger in the other, she escaped from the cow pen under the cover of night and hid in a place where no one could find her.

Wait until dawn and find an opportunity to escape from the township government office.

Yao Ji hadn't eaten for a day and knew she needed plenty of energy to escape.

She took one look at the bloody dog meat and did something no man would dare to do.

Yao Ji cut off a piece of raw dog meat, endured the strong fishy smell, put it on her cherry lips, and chewed it slowly.

Eating raw dog meat!

"Haha."

Yao Youzhi stood at the gate, his face beaming. He said warmly, "Mr. Yan's visit to the Yao family of Beidao is truly an honor to our humble home. Please come in quickly. The officials have prepared a banquet for Mr. Yan and several of his disciples."

He had met Guo Jie before, and saw a disciple beside Yan Yi who looked very similar to Guo Jie.

Yao Youzhi's heart trembled.

It really scared him.

Yao Youzhi hurriedly reached for the two-foot sword at his waist, looked at Guo Jie with fear, and prepared to shout to call over hundreds of soldiers.

In addition, firewood must be burned.

All the powerful people, big and small, from dozens of miles away in the township were lured over and their biggest threat was killed.

Guo Jie.

"Why are you doing this?"

Seeing Yao Youzhi staring at Guo Jie fearfully, Yan Yi frowned and said, "But this disciple of mine has a grudge against you. This cannot be allowed. Although this disciple has killed someone, he is from Langya County and is visiting Chang'an for the first time."

Langya County?
Yao Youzhi looked suspicious and still suspected that he was Guo Jie, the powerful and fearful Guo Jie.

"Ah!"

Yan Yi flicked the sleeves of his linen jacket and sneered, "If you don't want to welcome the Yan family, just say so earlier. Why bother putting on such a hypocritical show of hospitality?"

He shook his wide sleeves, turned around and walked away, pretending to be angry and preparing to leave Pingshan Township.

Not welcoming the Yan family?
Yao Youzhi's heart trembled. If this matter were to get out, the Confucian scholars in Chang'an would drown him with spit.

"Mr. Yan, please stay."

Yao Youzhi smiled bitterly and said, "It's not that the petty officials don't welcome Lord Yan, but the powerful people in Chang'an County are afraid of Guo Jie's killing. Whenever this plague god arrives in a village with a powerful surname, he is like a walking plague, and the entire clan will soon be wiped out."

He sighed and said, "This disciple of Lord Yan's looks very much like Guo Jie. How could a petty official not be afraid? According to Lord Yan, this man is from Langya County. It seems he is too frightened. Lord Yan, please forgive me. Please come in quickly."

Guo Jie suppressed his laughter.

In fact, he is Guo Jie.

Yan Yi glanced at Guo Jie behind him, his face full of surprise. He didn't expect Guo Jie to be so famous.

(End of this chapter)