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

When Zhang Sanlang returned to the household office, Wang Tiesi approached him and asked, "Zhang Qianxing, are you alright?"

"It's alright. Fortunately, I was prepared. It won't be difficult to clear my name, especially with Judge Tao looking after me." Zhang Sanlang sat down and picked up his pen.

Wang Tiesi lowered his voice, "I heard that the person who first reported it was Fang Zhong'an from the Clerk's Office. When he was drinking with someone at the Duan Family Tavern, he said that you got ten taels of silver from the Chen Family, and it reached the ears of the Criminal Division."

Zhang Sanlang paused, his pen still in his hand, a look of surprise on his face. "Fang Zhong'an?"

"That's him. He's a very shrewd and worldly man, and he's also an old friend of Yu Shoufen from the Criminal Investigation Department. Someone saw the two of them drinking and chatting. Yu Shoufen went back to the Criminal Investigation Department to learn from him, and Kong Youan got an excuse to pass on the torch to you."

Zhang Sanlang put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and remained silent, which surprised him quite a bit.

The room was quiet for a moment.

Liao Tiesi kept his head down, moving the beads more gently than usual, as if afraid of startling something. Zheng Tiesi was copying a list in the corner, his pen moving quickly, but his ears twitched slightly.

"Thank you for telling me, Brother Wang."

Wang Tiesi waited for a while, and seeing that Zhang Sanlang only said this one sentence, he retreated awkwardly.

After finishing his shift, Zhang Sanlang did not go straight home, but went to the clerk's office.

The door to the official's office was ajar.

Feng Jian was not there. Fang Zhong'an sat at his desk organizing documents. Ma Tiesi had already left.

Fang Zhong'an was the only one left in the room. The sunlight slanted in through the window, shining on half of the table, making his face appear half black and half white.

Fang Zhong'an saw Zhang Sanlang, who dropped the documents in his hand onto the table. He quickly picked them up, forcing a smile, "Zhang Qianxing, haven't you finished your shift yet?"

Zhang Sanlang walked in and sat down opposite Fang Zhong'an. "Brother Fang, when you were drinking with Yu Shoufen at Duan's Tavern, you said that I received ten taels of silver from the Chen family. Is that true?"

Fang Zhong'an's smile froze on his face, then brightened again. "Zhang Qianxing, who told you this? When did I say that? I have been to Duan Family Tavern and drunk with Yu Shoufen, but I didn't say anything like that."

He stood up and poured Zhang Sanlang a bowl of tea. "Please sit down. You know me, I can't keep my mouth shut, but I never speak ill of my colleagues."

"Zhang Qianxing, we've known each other for a while now. In all the years you've been in the clerk's office, when have I ever spoken ill of you behind your back?"

Zhang Sanlang did not accept the teacup. "If it were anyone else, I would have gone directly to Clerk Feng or even Registrar Gu to clear my name! Brother Fang, I want to hear the truth."

Fang Zhong'an placed the teacup in front of him, sat down, and sighed, "Zhang Qianxing, it seems I can't hide it from you anymore. I don't care about our friendship anymore. These words were actually said by Yu Shoufen."

"You're doing a great job in the household registration office, and your autumn tax inventory is so neat and tidy that even Registrar Gu praised you. I'm envious of you, how could I possibly say you're taking bribes?"

A glint flashed in Zhang Sanlang's eyes. "Oh? What did Yu Shoufen say?"

Fang Zhong'an spread his hands. "You know perfectly well that the people in the interrogation room always believe whatever they hear. He told me that since you came back from Chen Family Village, the Chen family will definitely get a lot of benefits."

"I said, 'That's to be expected; everyone knows how hard it is to collect taxes.' That one sentence reached Clerk Kong's ears, and it became me saying you took money from the Chen family. Brother Zhang, I've been wronged!"

Zhang Sanlang looked at him without saying a word.

Fang Zhong'an's gaze flickered for a moment, then returned to his teacup. He took a sip and said, "Zhang Qianxing, believe me. I really never said 'ten taels.' The rest is just embellishment; he made it up himself."

"Brother Fang, how many years have you been in the Civil Service Office?"

Fang Zhong'an was taken aback for a moment, "It's been twelve or thirteen years."

"Twelve or thirteen years. The documents, stipends, and attendance records handled by the Ministry of Personnel are all important matters. You've been in the Ministry of Personnel for so long, you should know that there are some things that cannot be said, and some things that cannot even be thought about."

Fang Zhong'an's smile faltered.

"When I was drinking with you, you said I had worked hard urging the troops to surrender. He asked you what benefits I had received, and you said, 'That's what I should have done.' If this gets out, it will be said that 'Fang Zhong'an said Zhang Sanlang received benefits from the Chen family.'"

Fang Zhong'an opened his mouth, his old face slightly red, but he didn't say anything.

"You were in the clerk's office, while Yu Shou was in the prison office. He invited you to drink, and you poured your heart out. He went back and relayed the message, while you were still sitting idly in the clerk's office." Zhang Sanlang's voice softened a bit. "Brother Fang, you've been used as a pawn."

Sweat beaded on Fang Zhong'an's forehead. He wiped it with his sleeve, his lips trembling slightly. "Zhang Qianxing, I... I really didn't mean to."

"You didn't intentionally submit the complaint, but you said that on purpose." Zhang Sanlang looked at him. "Brother Fang, let's not beat around the bush. Some things, I might as well just say them outright today."

"You know Yu Shoufen is from the Criminal Division, and you also know he'll repeat what he says when he gets back. You resent me because the vacancy in the Department of Rites wasn't filled, but I was transferred to the Department of Households and promoted to a higher position. You're not happy about that."

Beads of sweat rolled down Fang Zhong'an's back and dripped onto the table. He lowered his head, his hands clenched tightly together. "Zhang Qianxing, I... this..."

Zhang Sanlang stood up. "You're a senior official in the Ministry of Personnel, so it's only right that you fill the vacancy left by the newcomer. However, the Ministry of Rites requires someone knowledgeable in the classics, and the Ministry of Revenue requires someone knowledgeable in finance. Brother Fang, which one do you consider yourself proficient in?"

"You've deliberately cultivated relationships with various factions, becoming well-acquainted with everyone in the county government. But, Brother Fang, if I may be so bold, would you dare consider such a person a trusted confidant if you were Clerk Feng?"

He turned and walked out.

Fang Zhong'an sat motionless at the desk.

The tea in the teacup had gone cold, and the sunlight outside the window slanted in by an inch, making his face appear mostly dark with little light.

The next morning, after Zhang Sanlang arrived at the household office to report for duty, he did not sit at the desk but went straight to Tao Yasi's inner room.

Tao Chengzheng put down his pen when he saw him come in. "What is it?"

Zhang Sanlang recounted Fang Zhong'an's story.

There was no embellishment, no complaining, just stating the facts.

After listening, Tao Cheng picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Sanlang, with your shrewdness, you must have figured it out by now. Fang Zhong'an wouldn't spread this kind of thing himself. He's too busy trying to cover up his drunken slip of the tongue to let Wang Tiesi know."

"The Criminal Investigation Department leaked the news, naturally hoping you would cause trouble for the Personnel Department. If you and Fang Zhong'an start a fight, the Revenue Department and the Personnel Department will become enemies. Kong You'an is sitting in the Criminal Investigation Department watching the show."

Zhang Sanlang nodded. "So I don't plan to cause trouble for Fang Zhong'an."

Tao Cheng glanced at him, a slight smile appearing on his lips. "So, what do you want to do?"

"I spoke with Fang Tiesi yesterday, but someone has to keep his mouth shut to prevent him from getting into trouble later. This is something Feng Yasi should handle."

Tao Cheng laughed upon hearing this, "Fang Zhong'an is his man. If his subordinates talk nonsense, Feng Jian won't look good either. It's more appropriate for you to talk to him than for me to do it."