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

Upon hearing this, Feng Jian raised his eyelids to scrutinize Xu Fang, his gaze lingering on his face for a few moments.

He turned to Zhang Sanlang, his smile widening. "The torture chamber is finally complete. The two brothers, one the account book, the other the abacus, though their personalities differ, they're just right."

Zhang Sanlang smiled and said, "Clerk Feng is too kind to them. They're just two young men who are willing to learn and work hard."

Feng Jian waved his hand, then glanced at A Fang, "You're right not to argue. This will make the manager owe you a favor. The job of a servant in the prison is simple—running errands and delivering messages. The most important thing is to be perceptive."

"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask, don't say what you shouldn't say, don't argue about what you shouldn't argue about, just keep it in mind..."

A-Fang bowed and smiled apologetically, "I have taken your teachings to heart, Clerk Feng."

Feng Jian looked at him with a smile, as if weighing someone's worth, "How much do you earn a month as a waiter at the tavern?"

"I don't earn much. Enough to eat, enough to pay for my younger brother's tuition, and there's hardly anything left."

"The stipend for a servant in the prison is less than that of a waiter in a tavern, only five or six hundred coins a month. Are you willing?"

A-Fang laughed, "Clerk Feng is joking. The amount of the stipend doesn't matter, as long as I have food to eat. Besides, working in the yamen is more respectable than waiting tables in a tavern."

Feng Jian's lips twitched slightly, and something new appeared in his eyes. "There aren't many people in this era who respect us lowly officials and servants. It's rare to see someone as clear-headed as you."

"The criminal investigation department is short of a handyman, but since you've just joined the county government, it's not appropriate to ask for one right away. You'll start as a menial laborer, doing the work of a handyman. You brothers are both in the criminal investigation department, so as the elder brother, you should give me some pointers on certain things."

Xu Fang bowed deeply, his waist bending even more than Xu Zheng's. "Thank you, Clerk Feng. I will certainly do my best and not let you down."

Feng Jian nodded in satisfaction and called out, "Go and invite Fang Qianxing here."

Footsteps echoed in the corridor as they drew closer, and the door was pushed open.

Fang Zhong'an strode in, first bowing slightly to Feng Jian, "Judge Feng, you wanted to see me?"

Feng Jian raised his chin and pointed to Xu Fang and Xu Zheng, who were standing to the side. "These two are in the punishment room. Xu Zheng is the assistant, and Xu Fang is the general servant. You take them under your wing and teach them the rules of the punishment room."

Fang Zhong'an responded and first turned to Zhang Sanlang, cupping his hands in thanks. "Zhang Qianxing, thank you very much. The torture chamber was short-staffed, and this has relieved my urgent need."

Zhang Sanlang smiled and said, "Fang Qianxing, you're too kind. Please guide them if they have any questions in the future."

Fang Zhong'an nodded, then glanced at Xu Fang, and suddenly exclaimed, "You...aren't you a waiter?"

Xu Fang quickly cupped his hands in greeting to Fang Zhong'an, saying, "Fang Qianxing has a good memory. I've been a waiter at Yuelai Tavern for three years and have had the pleasure of meeting you a few times."

Fang Zhong'an slapped his thigh, "How could I not remember! Last month I went to Yuelai Tavern, and the crab-stuffed orange I ordered was sold out. You replaced it with braised pork knuckle and even gave me an extra plate of salted beans. I even asked you your name."

He paused, then frowned. "I felt so bad when I heard you were fired! You worked there for three years, and you were the most honest person there."

"Once, I went to a restaurant, and the customer at the next table left a purse behind. You were the one who chased after them to return it. Where can you find a waiter like that?"

Xu Fang smiled gratefully, "Fang Qianxing, you flatter me. It's just a small matter, not worth mentioning."

"How could it not be worth it!" Fang Zhong'an got more and more excited as he spoke. "If you ask me, that shopkeeper is a fool. So what if he's a regular customer? Does being a regular customer give him the right to falsely accuse someone? You might think of him, but he doesn't. It's better not to serve a business like that!"

He was about to say something more when Feng Jian coughed lightly.

The cough wasn't loud, but Fang Zhong'an felt a prick as if he'd been stung by a needle. He quickly shut his mouth, awkwardly retreating to the side. The excitement on his face hadn't faded, and he pursed his lips.

Feng Jian picked up his teacup, expressionless. "Alright. First, take them through the files in the criminal investigation department and have them identify the people they should recognize. They don't need to do anything else today; just show them around the county government office."

Fang Zhong'an responded, winked at Zhang Sanlang, and then beckoned to Xu Fang and Xu Zheng, "Come with me."

The two bowed to Feng Jian, nodded to Zhang Sanlang, and followed Fang Zhong'an out of the office.

In the corridor, Fang Zhong'an walked ahead, his steps light, but he kept talking, "You've come at the right time. I'm the only one working in the interrogation room right now, the case files are piled up half the room, and there's not even anyone to help me copy them."

"If you guys hadn't come, I would have wished I had eight hands. Zhang Sanlang had already asked me to recommend someone, and I didn't expect it to be someone I knew, which makes me feel much more at ease."

He turned and glanced at Ah Zheng. "Your name is Xu Zheng? You know the Criminal Code by heart?"

Ah Zheng quickly replied modestly, "I've memorized some, but I wouldn't call myself proficient."

"Just memorize some. In the criminal investigation department, the regulations are fixed, but the cases are dynamic. First, go through the case files with me and sort out this year's files. Put what should be put away, and copy what should be copied. Ask questions if you don't understand something, and don't try to figure it out yourself."

He then turned to Afang, "I know you, kid. You have an excellent eye for things. The clerks in the prison don't have much to do; they mainly run errands and relay messages, and sometimes they go to the prison to fetch people. They need someone who can read the room."

A-Fang smiled and said, "Don't worry, Fang Qianxing. I may not be good at much else, but I can certainly run errands and deliver messages."

Fang Zhong'an nodded, pushed open the door to the torture chamber, and went in first. "Come in. Let's familiarize ourselves with the place."

The interrogation room consisted of three rooms. The outer room was where the clerks worked, with four long desks pushed together and piled high with case files. The inner room was the office for the front-line officials, and at the very back was the office for the chief clerk.

Fang Zhong'an pointed to the desk in the outer room, "Xu Zheng, sit there. First, sort the case files on the shelf by year, put this year's files in one pile, and last year's files in another."

"After you've sorted them out, classify them according to criminal law: put the thieves together, the brawlers together, and the household, marriage, and land cases together. It's almost the end of the year, and you're the only clerk in the criminal department right now, so you need to get up to speed as soon as possible."

Ah Zheng walked to the desk, looked at the case files on the shelf and nodded, "Fang Qianxing, don't worry, I'll sort out these case files today."

After he finished speaking, he rolled up his sleeves, took the first stack of files from the shelf, placed them on the table, opened the first page to check the year, and began to classify them. His movements were slow but meticulous, checking each file before turning to it.

Fang Zhong'an then pointed to a small table by the door, "Xu Fang, sit here. I'll explain the affairs of the clerks in the criminal justice department to you in detail. Every day at dawn, you come to report for duty, first go to each department to deliver documents, and if there are any official documents that need to be delivered, you deliver them."

"If you're free this afternoon, help copy the roster. We can't afford to be short-staffed in the criminal investigation department."

A-Fang sat down at the small table, glanced at the pile of files on his younger brother's desk, and a fleeting look of melancholy crossed his eyes. "Fang Qianxing, my handwriting isn't very good, so I'm afraid I can't copy the roster. Just tell me what to do for running errands and delivering messages."

Fang Zhong'an thought for a moment after hearing this, "That's true. Don't rush the roster, you should sort out the people in each household first."