Han official!

Chapter 161 China and North Korea
The Minister of Rites is also known as the Minister of Guests.

Guo Jie knew what Sang Hongyang meant by governing rituals.

This event was first recorded in the Dingxian bamboo slips, a Han dynasty bamboo slip from the time when Liu Ding, King of Lu'an, went to Chang'an to pay homage:

Daily Records of the First Month of the Second Year of Wufeng in the Lu'an Dynasty, Slip 07.

As early as the tenth year of Emperor Gaozu of Han, a system of ritual governance was established.

The emperor summoned the princes to Changle Palace.

There was a bronze man at the gate of Changle Palace, and the ritual officer was responsible for bringing the princes to the palace to wait under the bronze man.

Although the rank of the ritual officials was not high, five of them were paid 200 shi, and five of them were paid 100 shi.

However, they were able to personally witness national ceremonies. Famous officials such as Ping Dang, Xiao Wangzhi, and Wei Xian all served as ceremonial officials.

The position of ritual officer was of special significance during the reign of Emperor Liu Che.

Emperor Liu Che established the Zhongchao, also known as the Neichao.

The officials of the Inner Court were different from those of the Outer Court. The Inner Court was composed entirely of the emperor's close confidants and ministers, and a secretarial agency, the Shangshu Tai, was established.

The later six ministers of state came from the Secretariat of Central Korea during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.

The competition between Sang Hongyang and Wuqiu Shouwang for the position of Chief of Ceremonies was based on the fact that whoever could take on the position could enter the core circle of the Central Dynasty.

"Why am I telling you this?"

Sang Hongyang shook his head and smiled helplessly, "If Gongyang Confucianism hadn't won the debate, the position of Chief of Ceremonies would have been mine. Now that Dong Zhongshu has won the debate between Gongyang and Guliang schools, the position of Chief of Ceremonies is almost certain to be held by Wuqiu Shouwang."

He sighed heavily, left the title deed, and went back to raise money to build the garden.

Guo Jie looked at Sang Hongyang's black robe with crimson edges and shook his head. How could they, small officials from the counties and prefectures, influence the Central Court and the appointment and dismissal of ritual officials?

"Who is the nearby pavilion chief?"

Guo Jie recalled something and said solemnly, "Although Lord Yan is skilled in swordplay, the township is located on the outskirts of Chang'an City, outside the walls of the village or the township government. It's inevitable that we'll encounter a band of passing bandits one day. The head of the nearby township pavilion would be wise to arrange for bandits to be sent out and have his men patrol the township every day."

Yan Yi nodded slightly: "Yes!"

Even though he was good at fighting and swordplay, there were hundreds of students in the village, including some children aged eight or nine.

We should not allow children to be kidnapped and sold by bandits just because we are proud of our superb swordsmanship.

Chang'an, the capital county, was under the jurisdiction of the Right Secretary of the Interior, and the street pavilions, flag pavilions, gate pavilions, and township pavilions of Chang'an were also within the scope of the inspection of the chief accountant Guo Jie.

Guo Jie led everyone to the township pavilion not far from the township.

Yan Yi chose this piece of land to build the Xiangxu because it was close to the Xiangting, which was next to the Xiangting on the outskirts of Chang'an.

After all, there is a police station next to the primary school, so there is no need to worry about abduction.

Chang'an built an outer wall along the Wei River in the north, with an outer pavilion.

Like the Xiangting, the main duties of the Waiguo Pavilion were to deliver documents and arrest thieves.

In addition, it is a complex building with defense, security and transportation functions.

Guo Jie walked out of the gate of the village and saw the Waiguo Pavilion not far away, a pavilion located on a rammed earth platform.

The foundation of the outer pavilion is half a zhang (about one meter) above the ground, with drainage ditches around it. The roof of the extraordinary house is a gabled roof covered with tubular tiles.

A flagpole was erected at the entrance of Feichangwu to hang signs or provide beacon signals.

There was a man tied to the flagpole.

It looks like a guard at the outer pavilion.

When the guard saw Guo Jie coming, he immediately shouted loudly.

"Which officer is here to inspect? This is an injustice. The captain of the pavilion and I have a personal grudge and tied me to the flagpole on purpose. I implore the officer to punish the captain severely."

"It turned out to be the official Guo Jie."

The guard was dressed in a white robe and a white cap. The cap was crooked and there were marks of whipping on the robe. He was tied to a flagpole with a hemp rope and had been whipped and beaten.

"What are you yelling about!"

The head of the guardhouse came out of the extraordinary room drunkenly, reeking of alcohol, holding a whip in his hand, and yelling that he was about to hit the guard again: "It's useless for anyone to come. Tie you to the flagpole for the next few days. I will release you when I feel better."

When Guo Jie heard the words "in a good mood", he couldn't help but frowned.

The head of the Waiguo Pavilion abused lynching.

"Why kidnap people?"

Guo Jie said in a deep voice, "This man must be a guard at this pavilion. Why did you tie him to the flagpole? Even though you are the head of the pavilion, you cannot resort to private punishment and abuse the guards under your command."

"It's my job, why should I explain it to you?"

The head of the Waiguo Pavilion turned around cursing and was about to shout loudly, but when he saw the appearance of the person who was speaking, he was stunned for a moment.

The guard hurriedly bowed and said, "I didn't know it was Mr. Guo. Please forgive me, Mr. Guo. I will slap my stinky mouth now."

"Snapped!"

The pavilion chief slapped himself hard.

He endured the burning pain on his face, looked at Guo Jie cautiously, and showed a smile that was uglier than crying.

"hehe."

Anguo Shaoji was frivolous and teased, "Meng Qing, why don't you continue beating me? If your cousin Ji Shaogong knew you called yourself 'Nai Gong' in front of Lord Guo, he would definitely hang you at the gate of the hut and beat you with a whip."

Guo Jie's plan to infiltrate the grassroots has begun to show results and is beginning to take effect.

The head of the Outer Pavilion was none other than Ji Mengqing, the cousin of Ji Shaogong.

His name contains the two characters "Meng Qing", which sounds very elegant, but in fact he is a rough and burly man with a full beard.

Ji Mengqing looked embarrassed and bowed again. "If I had known it was Mr. Guo, I would never have dared to utter the name 'Nai Gong' even if I were beaten to death. It's just that this guard has been yelling nonsense all day, annoying everyone, and that's what...that's what offended Mr. Guo."

An Guo Shao Ji wanted to tease him again.

Ji Mengqing glared at him.

An Guo Shao Ji could only smile and give up.

"Mr. Guo, please come in quickly."

Ji Mengqing hastily invited Guo Jie into the Extraordinary Room, overjoyed, saying, "I was out on patrol yesterday and happened to shoot a wild deer. It's already been butchered and is now roasting on the horseshoe stove in the Extraordinary Room. Mr. Guo, please come in and have a taste."

Guo Jie felt relieved when he learned that the head of Waiguo Pavilion next to the township was Ji Mengqing. However, in order to prevent Ji Mengqing from abusing private punishment, he still needed to inquire about the kidnapping of the pavilion guard.

"Not urgent."

Guo Jie asked, "This man is one of your guards, not a roaming bandit. Why did you tie him to the flagpole?"

"It's unjust."

When the guard heard Guo Jie's concern for him, he cried out in protest, his voice so loud that veins popped out of his forehead. "That day, the guard was drunk, and the clerk said it was best not to drink while on duty, so he was tied up by the guard."

You cannot drink alcohol during work hours.

This is a clear regulation in any dynasty.

However, a village headman like Ji Mengqing could drink without being discovered without the supervision of higher officials.

"nonsense!"

Ji Mengqing's face flushed with anger. "Mr. Guo, don't listen to this man's nonsense. The clerk tied him to the flagpole at the entrance of the Extraordinary Chamber as punishment. It wasn't for drinking. He never drank while on duty."

"I shot a wild deer yesterday. Today I took a leave of absence and went to drink in the extraordinary room with several other officials who had also taken leave."

The head of the pavilion lives in the pavilion.

As long as Ji Mengqing asked for leave, he could drink in the pavilion.

"You stupid thief!"

Anguo Shaoji was furious, waving his fists and pretending to hit the guard. "How dare you deceive Lord Guo? I think you're asking for a beating. You deserve to be tied to the flagpole. If it were me, I'd tie you to the back of a carriage and drag you around!"

The guard was startled, shrank his neck and said, "I don't know why I was tied up, but I think it's probably because I angered the guard."

"I don't know?"

Ji Mengqing's face was filled with anger. He raised his fist and really wanted to punch the guard, but because Guo Jie was standing next to him, he had to put his fist down again.

"Mr. Guo, don't listen to his nonsense. This man knows why he's being punished. He simply saw that the clerk was afraid of you, so he tricked you into letting him go. This villain not only talks nonsense all day long, but he also dared to deceive you. He truly deserves a beating!"

"The reason he was tied to the flagpole is very simple. He didn't pay the full amount of rice straw he was cutting a few days ago."

Guo Jie, Yan Yi, Chong Huangrou and others heard that the cutting of茭 was not completed.

Everyone's expression changed.

I knew that the problem with this guard was very serious.

The Han Dynasty was short of horses and had a strict management system for them. Water chestnuts were used as horse feed and were even more strictly managed.

The income and expenditure of Zizania latifolia are recorded in detail.

There are special records for every expenditure and collection of茭草.

Record the details in the diary.

The guards of the Outer Pavilion have to cut water chestnuts every once in a while. No one, including the pavilion chief, is an exception and must complete the task of cutting water chestnuts on time.

The last time they cut the茭, each guard cut fifty bundles.

The guard only handed in 45 bundles of water chestnuts, and was punished for not completing the task of cutting water chestnuts.

Not to mention this guard, even if Ji Mengqing did not hand in enough water chestnuts, and only handed in forty-nine bundles of water chestnuts, but was one bundle short, he would still be punished by the county lieutenant.

This guard was missing five bundles of water chestnuts, but they were considered extremely lenient by simply tying him to the flagpole at the entrance of the extraordinary house.

If he were replaced by a slightly more brutal pavilion chief, he would have beaten him to death with a whip.

"If we don't cut down the wild rice, it will be fine."

Ji Mengqing's face turned grim. "This man had cut enough water chestnuts, but when he came to pay, he was missing five bundles. The clerk asked him why, but he refused to tell him, and kept lying that he had accidentally lost the five bundles."

His expression was solemn. "Of course, the minor official wouldn't believe his nonsense, so he went to question the guards who had been with him in the cutting of the茭. Who would have thought that one of the guards heard this Pu and was chatting with a villager. The villager looked like a Han Chinese in flat hat and trousers, but he spoke with a Xiongnu accent."

Huns!

Guo Jie's expression suddenly changed.

The expressions of Yan Yi, Chong Huangrou and others also became solemn.

There were actually some idle Huns who mixed into the Chang'an area.

"Snapped!"

Ji Mengqing took out the whip from his waist and hit Pu hard. "The official was terrified and pressed him to tell how he knew the Xiongnu and what he had said to the Xiongnu man. Pu refused to say anything, only saying that the guards who were with him in the cutting of the茭 had misheard and that it wasn't a Xiongnu man, but a Southwestern Yi from Gao Street."

"what!"

Pu screamed and continued, "The official didn't lie. The barbarian was from the Southwestern Yi. He said his horse was out of fodder and offered a hundred coins to buy five bundles of water chestnuts. The official, out of greed, sold the water chestnuts to the man. Ah!"

"Snapped!"

Ji Mengqing took the whip and hit Pu hard again, saying angrily: "You are still talking nonsense! Which guard in the border county has not been stationed in the border county? How could you misunderstand the Huns' accent? Which Han people stationed in the border county have no blood debt with the Huns? You mediocre dog, how dare you collude with the Huns!" There is a Ting'an in the outer pavilion, which is used to detain prisoners.

Ji Mengqing did not imprison Pu in Ting'an, but tied him to the flagpole at the door of Feichangwu. His idea was simple, to try to lure the Huns to come and rescue him.

Most of the outer pavilions are located next to major traffic routes.

The outer pavilion near Xiangxu was set up right next to the highway leading to Chang'an. Passersby coming and going could see Pu being tied up.

If Pu and the Huns had some hidden conspiracy, they would try to rescue Pu or kill him.

Whether it is saving people or killing people.

As long as the Huns revealed their tracks, they would be hunted down by Ji Mengqing.

Unfortunately, Pu had been tied up and hung on the flagpole at the door of Feichangwu for a long time, and no one came out to rescue or kill him.

Guo Jie was a senior accountant. If the Huns caused a riot in the Right Internal History Office, he, as the head of the inspection team, would inevitably be held accountable by the government.

It's not necessary to hold him accountable.

Zhao Yu and Zhang Tang were most likely held accountable for their crimes.

The chief accountant Guo Jie would also be reprimanded, which means he would be publicly criticized by the entire system.

Or he could be demoted and transferred from the important position of accountant to a lowly government office with little power.

"Recruit from the real facts."

Guo Jie stared at Pu and said coldly, "I'll give you one last chance. If you tell me about your conspiracy with the Xiongnu, I might consider a lighter sentence and sentence you to the position of Sikou for two years."

"If you insist on not telling the truth, I will sentence you to become a palace servant!"

Gong Lichen means castrated.

The guard named Pu was directly castrated.

When Pu heard the three words "Gong Lichen", a look of horror appeared on his face, but he still did not tell the truth.

"It's unjust."

Pu continued to cry out for justice: "I really don't know the Xiongnu, and I wouldn't dare to conspire with them. Besides, I'm just a small guard, how could the Xiongnu take such notice of me and find a guard to plot with me?"

"It's hard to say."

Guo Jie objected, "You are a guard, of course. The Han Dynasty is well-equipped. The five armories in the Outer Guo Pavilion are filled with armor and crossbows. The Xiongnu could use you to steal the weapons from the five armories."

"That's all."

Guo Jie said impatiently, "I don't want to waste my time talking to you. Shao Ji of Anguo should go to the Imperial Household Department and call the Chief Secretary Yi Zong. Have him bring Qin Dynasty torture instruments and interrogate this guard."

When Pu heard Yi Zong's name, his face was filled with fear, and he finally realized he was afraid: "No!"

Yi Zong had not used Qin Dynasty torture instruments for a long time. His face was full of excitement, and he hurried to Waiguo Pavilion with the torture instruments.

Pu had already been imprisoned in Ting'an, and Fang Yizong used torture on him.

Guo Jie walked into the extraordinary room, waiting for the result of Yi Zong's interrogation. No matter how tough a person was, he could not withstand Yi Zong's methods.

Yi Zong was well versed in all kinds of torture used by the tyrannical Qin Dynasty, and tortured prisoners to the point where their lives were worse than death.

Soon, screams were heard from the Ting'an in the outer pavilion.

Guo Jie was sitting in the extraordinary room, and he could vaguely hear Pu's miserable screams. He sat in the extraordinary room with satisfaction, waiting to enjoy the venison roasted by Ji Mengqing himself.

The weather was getting hotter, and Ji Mengqing was worried about the fire in the horseshoe stove. Guo Jie was sweating from the heat, so he moved the peeled venison outside.

Ji Mengqing built a simple horseshoe stove at the door of the extraordinary house to temporarily roast venison.

Guo Jie sat on a reed mat with borders in the extraordinary room and felt the temperature drop a lot in an instant. A cup of millet wine was placed on the table in front of him. The window was open, and the May breeze blew in from time to time.

It was neither too hot nor too cold, and was filled with the scent of grass from the persimmon trees and nearby corn fields.

The wooden door of the extraordinary house is opened, and through it, you can see everything on the road outside the door.

Ox carts pulled goods, common people in capes carrying plows and hoes, and a few mounted officials who appeared from time to time, galloped on horseback towards the village.

"Go and get the diary."

Guo Jie called the pavilion father and said, "I have returned to Chang'an and will begin my inspection. Today I have come to the Outer Pavilion, and I will start my inspection from here. Go and fetch the daily records for the past few months."

The outer pavilion is located beside the road of Chidao, and the township is behind the outer pavilion.

The outer pavilion is very important for the village order.

Ji Mengqing was recently appointed as the chief of Waiguo Pavilion.

Since Guo Jie's plan to infiltrate the grassroots, his highest-ranking official was the one who helped him with the resignation audit.

Audit the accounts left by the previous headman.

So as to avoid leaving a lot of holes.

Ji Mengqing, the new headman, took the blame for the previous headman.

Several senior officials of Waiguo Pavilion, including the pavilion chief, pavilion father, and Qiudao, were all their own people. Tingfu and Qiudao were both wanderers from Chen County. Without any hesitation, they immediately brought a large pile of bamboo slips.

Guo Jie would not inspect the daily work book of Waiguo Pavilion by himself, so there were a few free laborers around.

A small pile of bamboo slips was placed on the desks of Yan Yi, Chong Huangrou, An Guo Shaoji and others. They began to inspect the daily records of household registration, money, lawsuits, military affairs, industry and commerce, etc.

"Mr. Guo treats me as a subordinate."

Yan Yi gave a bitter laugh and picked up the letter to examine it. "Fortunately, it's just a pavilion's diary. If it were a township's diary, it would take at least half a month to finish reading it."

The daily workbook records the daily work content.

Rather cumbersome.

Normally, the inspection and verification system would only check the monthly records or the four seasons records.

There are so many diary entries that I can’t possibly read them all.

There was only one reason why Guo Jie insisted on bringing the diary.

The details are hidden in the diary.

It is difficult for the powerful to cover up the flaws in the daily work book.

"It won't hurt to see it."

Guo Jie laughed and said, "You said you wanted to continue investigating the powerful and confiscate their property. If we can find some errors or omissions in the daily records, we don't need to go anywhere else. We can directly confiscate the property of the powerful near the Outer Pavilion."

Yan Yi's face was full of smiles, and he checked his diary much faster.

He is the one who wants to find evidence of the powerful's crime the most.

"Brother-in-law."

Yi Zong, wearing an iron crown and black clothes, walked into the extraordinary house. His hands were stained with blood. He had washed them by the well in the outer pavilion, but they were still not clean.

Yi Zong's black clothes were also stained with blood and turned black and red.

"The interrogation is clear."

Yi Zong walked in with a smell of blood on his body, picked up the pottery bell on Guo Jie's desk, and gulped down a big mouthful of millet wine.

"This guard named Pu, just as Ji Mengqing said, had contact with a Xiongnu man on the day of the rice grass harvest. And just as he said, he only sold five bundles of rice grass."

One hundred coins can buy one hundred and twenty kilograms of grain.

Any guard would be tempted.

However, this was not the result Guo Jie wanted.

Guo Jie didn't care how much money the guard got from selling the茭草, he only cared about one thing.

What are the Huns plotting?

"only these?"

Guo Jie frowned and said, "Did Pu say anything else? Selling the water chestnuts wasn't a serious crime. Even if he had sold them to the Xiongnu, Pu wouldn't have gritted his teeth, tied them to a flagpole and dried them for a long time, refusing to tell the truth."

"Is there any other hidden secret in this?"

Yan Yi and others had the same idea as Guo Jie, and put down the bamboo slips in their hands.

It is suspected that Pu had other transactions with the Huns, and it was not just as simple as selling five bundles of茭草.

"Of course."

Yi Zong took out a letter from his crimson robe and handed it over. "This is a letter written on silk. Pu couldn't bear the torture and handed it over. The Xiongnu people didn't know Pu, but they bought the茭草 for a hundred coins."

"Actually, buying the water chestnuts was just a side job. The Xiongnu found Pu to deliver a message."

Delivering a letter?

It's definitely not a good thing.

Guo Jie took the letter with a serious expression.

The attention of Yan Yi and others was also attracted by the letter. They stretched their necks to look over, wanting to see the content of the letter.

It was a silk letter, which shows the importance of the content of the letter.

"Has the sealing wax been opened?"

Guo Jie took it and looked at it carefully for a few seconds, then asked curiously, "Has Pu read this letter?"

Yi Zong was also confused: "When interrogating Pu, I asked him this question: How could the letter be opened before it was delivered? Did Pu peek at the contents of the letter? Pu said he didn't peek and kept it hidden in the house where he lived."

"While searching for the letter, I found the pottery vessel containing the letter. It was placed in a rather hidden location, making it difficult for ordinary people to find it."

Another suspicious point arises.

Who read the letter?

Guo Jie didn't think about it for the time being and decided to wait until he read the contents of the letter.

He took a closer look and his expression brightened. "Great news! This letter involves the administration of ceremonies. It involves a deal with someone to exchange ironware for white horses. In exchange for one hundred white horses, he's seeking the position of ceremonial officer."

After reading the letter, Guo Jie handed it to An Guo Shao Ji, who was closest to him.

Governing etiquette?

An Guo Shao Ji was overjoyed: "The Han Dynasty is short of horses. Emperor Gaozu of Han couldn't even muster a few white horses for his travels, so he had to use mixed-colored horses to pull his carriage. One hundred white horses are enough to exchange for the position of ceremonial officer! Could it be that the person who traded with the Xiongnu was King Wuqiu Shou?"

"Um, that's impossible. King Wuqiu Shou has the support of Gongyang Ru behind him. He has almost been confirmed as the Minister of Rites. There is no need to risk his life in exchange for a hundred white horses from the Xiongnu."

An Guo Shao Ji took out the sealing wax he carried with him and prepared to seal the letter again.

"Whoever it is, if he reseals the letter with wax and has Pu deliver it, he will be caught and the hundred white horses will be found."

When Guo Jie and Yan Yi saw that An Guo Shao Ji had actually resealed the opened letter with wax, their faces changed drastically.

The two men hurriedly pulled An Guo Shaoji's arm.

"The letter has been opened! You can't seal it with wax without permission!"

(End of this chapter)