Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

I received my second brother's reply at the end of July.

When Zhang Erlang executed the official and sent a letter to the Juancheng County government, his intention was to let Li Hang know about it. Zhang Sanlang understood his second brother's meaning and had Li Hang read the letter, thus becoming wary of Hao Yun.

The imperial court sent officials to investigate Wu Haogu's affairs in Juancheng, but Li Hang easily dismissed the matter.

This day marks the end of the month's ten-day break.

Zhang Sanlang had just gotten up and was preparing for breakfast when Lü Sanbao ran down to the corridor to report, "Master, a soldier has arrived outside and says he has a letter."

Zhang Sanlang put down his bowl of porridge, got up, and walked outside.

An old soldier stood outside the door, nearly forty years old, with a dark red face and wearing a pair of hemp shoes with toes that were disproportionately large to his size.

He had an old cloth bundle slung over his shoulder. When he saw Zhang Sanlang come out, he grinned, revealing a missing front tooth. "Zhang, I am a soldier from the Juancheng courier station, here to deliver a message to you."

He took a letter out of his bundle, presented it with both hands, and said, "It's from Tanzhou. This is my first time delivering a letter to Clerk Zhang; it's a great honor."

Zhang Sanlang took the letter, glanced at the handwriting on the envelope, tucked it into his sleeve, then looked up at him and asked, "You recognize me?"

The clerk chuckled and rubbed his hands together. "I often deliver messages to the county government and have seen the clerk a few times from afar. My cousin mentioned you to me, saying you are fair in your dealings and considerate of your subordinates..."

Who is your cousin?

"Fang Zhong'an. He was originally a clerk in the clerk's office, but now he's in the criminal justice office."

Zhang Sanlang raised an eyebrow, both amused and exasperated. "You're his cousin?"

"That's right. My name is Fang Shaoan. I also have an older brother named Fang Mengan, who works as a cook at the patrol station." He grinned again, "Everyone who knows me calls me Fang Big Foot, and the clerk can call me that too, it sounds nice."

Zhang Sanlang glanced down at the hemp shoes on his feet.

It is indeed large.

It's even bigger than Zhang Dalang!

"Fang Shaoan." He read the name aloud and couldn't help but laugh. "Your Fang family is quite large, and each member has their own business. Nothing in the Juancheng County government can be kept from you."

Fang Dajiao scratched the back of his head. "You're joking, Clerk. It's just errand running, just trying to make a living."

Zhang Sanlang tilted his head slightly towards the door. "Come in and talk. Sit in the courtyard and have a cup of tea."

Fang Dajiao quickly waved his hand, "No, no, my feet are covered in mud, don't dirty the clerk's yard."

Zhang Sanlang stepped over the threshold first. "Brother Zhong'an and I are close friends. If he knew you were here, and I, Zhang Sanlang, hadn't even offered him a cup of tea, wouldn't that be embarrassing for him?"

Fang Dajiao was taken aback at first, then beamed with joy. He rubbed his big feet vigorously in the alleyway to make sure there was no more mud before stepping over the threshold and following him in.

When Zhang Sanlang saw happy Mei'er peeking out from the side room, he waved to her.

happy Mei quickly walked over, looking curiously at Fang Dajiao who was walking towards her.

Zhang Sanlang bent down and whispered a few words in her ear. Xi Mei nodded, turned around, and went back to her room.

Zhang Sanlang led Fang Dajiao to sit down at the stone table in the courtyard, then sat down beside him. "Brother Shao'an, please make yourself at home. When Brother Zhong'an comes to my place, he always lies down rather than sit... May I ask, Brother Shao'an, how many people are in your family?"

Fang Dajiao's smile widened as she counted on her fingers, "Five people. My mother, the children inside the house, and two kids. The older one is at the post station, and the younger one is still in school."

When A-Yun'er saw the guests, she brought two bowls of plum juice from the kitchen.

Fang Dajiao quickly stood up, bent down, took the bowl with both hands, and carefully placed it on the stone table. Seeing that Zhang Sanlang had drunk from it, he picked it up and took two big gulps, letting out two satisfied hums.

A moment later, happy Meier walked up to Zhang Sanlang with a coarse cloth pouch in her hand, quietly stuffed the pouch into his sleeve, called out "Uncle" to Fang Dajiao, and then walked away briskly.

Zhang Sanlang chatted with Fang Dajiao for a few more minutes about trivial matters, such as how many lamps were lit at the post station at night and how often the section of the official road in front of the station was repaired.

Zhang Sanlang was somewhat familiar with the accounting of the soldiers' clothing and provisions, as well as the repairs of the innkeepers' quarters.

There are three soldiers at the local post station, with Fang Dajiao being the head of the station.

Soldiers were not considered lowly; they remained good citizens. However, they received only four or five bushels of grain annually. In addition, they received about one string of cash for hemp cloth and winter clothing each year. On average, their monthly income from food and clothing totaled no more than five hundred cash.

Every day, they carried bundles of documents for dozens of miles along the official road, rain or shine, to hand over and sign documents at the post, even if it was late at night. It was more arduous than doing hard labor at the docks, but they received even less pay and rations.

After some casual conversation, Zhang Sanlang learned that although the laborers at the spruce station did not earn as much as the dockworkers, their monthly rations were more stable. Their families were also exempt from corvée labor and household taxes.

Because they traveled along the official road every day, they heard all the gossip from the shops and villages along the way. They knew about where grain prices had risen, where troops were passing through, and which wealthy family had run into trouble, even before the county officials.

These kinds of messages can be exchanged for favors. Tell the rice shopkeeper, "The grain transport boat will arrive in the next couple of days," and you can get a few pounds of broken rice. Tell the dock foreman, "The prefecture is coming to inspect for smuggled salt," and you can get some odds and ends in return.

Fang Dajiao, an old-timer in the supply depot, had been working in Juancheng for over a decade and knew dozens of more people he could rely on than a laborer who only knew how to carry bags.

Moreover, when delivering documents, the various shops would often give each other a ride along the way. For example, carrying a can of lamp oil for one person, delivering a letter for another, or relaying a message for the village head or elder, one could always earn a few coins as a reward.

Furthermore, the porters wore uniforms and carried official bundles, representing the county government as they walked on the official road. It was common for local ruffians to bully the dockworkers, but bullying the porters was a slap in the face to the officials, which could result in a beating or even imprisonment.

As the saying goes, even chicks don't pee; everyone has their own way of doing things.

As Zhang Sanlang pondered, he was shocked to discover that although the Fang family had not produced any high-ranking officials, they had already deeply penetrated every nook and cranny between the towns and villages of Juancheng.

Fang Zhong'an was a formal clerk in the county government. Even though he was just a minor official, he could still glean a great deal of information from the documents he handled. His aunt, Granny Fang, worked at Yongning Temple, where she received many worshippers and benefactors, and she was also a very perceptive person.

His elder brother, Fang Bo'an, was stationed at the post station, where he received officials, scholars, government officials, and clerks who used post station tickets to stay, change horses, and dine. He was practically a local deity.

The two also had their brothers Fang Shu'an and Fang Ji'an working in the prefectural government, plus two cousins, Fang Shao'an running errands at the post station and Fang Meng'an working as a cook at the patrol station. This was truly amazing!

In terms of quality, each one is less than the last.

In terms of information, there was almost nothing they didn't know, whether inside or outside the Juancheng County government office, in the city or the countryside!

A network of information networks, stacked one on top of another, covered the entire city of Juancheng from top to bottom and inside to outside...

After finishing his plum juice, Zhang Sanlang slowly stood up.