Early that morning, the Jingzhaofu Yamen in Guangdefang opened its door. Several clerks moved out a table and blocked it in front of the door, and inserted a wooden sign next to the table.
The sign reads:
"Those who are retriing old cases should queue up in order to get a number. A person can only get a number once a day. Those who do not respond to the call will not wait."
Notice boards made of wooden boards were also placed on both sides of the Jingzhao Mansion Yamen.
The one on the left says "Only those who have been called can enter. Trespassers will be punished as disturbing the court, and will be fined first before being convicted." The one on the right says "Ten times the compensation for damaging public property. Beating officials and sending them to Dali Temple will be fined first." Re-offending”.
Next to the two signs, five soldiers of the Zuo Jinwu Guard stood on each side to maintain order. The tall Zhang Guangsheng stood next to Zheng Shuqing, the Yin of Jingzhao Mansion, to support him. A green-robed official sat in front of the desk.
The little official who was pushed to the front desk to "take the blame" was sitting in front of him pretending to be calm, looking at the dozens of sufferers in front of him who had been mobilized by some "dog trustees", and seemed to have an indifferent expression on his face.
In fact, he was panicking inside.
"We should act according to the rules and arrest anyone who causes trouble. We have the Jinwu Guards to support us."
Zheng Shuqing came over and bewitched the green-robed official.
"Zheng Fuyin, is this okay?"
The green-robed official pointed to the number plate made of small wooden boards in the basket next to him. There were only ten plates named after "Heavenly Stems" such as "A", "B", "C" and "D" written on them.
"sure."
Zheng Shuqing said confidently. He had blind confidence in Fang Zhongyong's bad idea.
"But, there are only ten brands here."
The green-robed official lowered his voice and said.
"Yeah, what's the problem?"
Zheng Shuqing asked rhetorically.
"What if I finish taking it?"
"Now that we've got it, let's continue queuing tomorrow. If there are too many people, we can continue queuing day by day. Is there any problem with this?
Many yamen only handle three files a day, but we handle ten old cases a day. Doesn’t this count as diligent work?
We are humans, not gods. Don’t you hear that manpower is sometimes poor? "
Zheng Shuqing looked at the green-robed official in front of him with dissatisfaction and asked.
"I understand, I'll take care of it right away."
The junior official nodded numbly, finally understanding why Zheng Shuqing could be the governor of Jingzhao for more than four years, while others could only be the governor of Jingzhao for half a year or at most one year.
Apart from anything else, this thickness of skin alone is beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Seeing that this junior official seemed to still have doubts, Zheng Shuqing explained nonchalantly:
"Jingzhao Mansion is also a local government government, and it is the blue sky for the people of Chang'an.
Since we have to handle cases, especially old and difficult cases, we must of course handle them well, carefully, and conscientiously, and not miss every detail.
The Jingzhao Mansion Yamen has limited staff and limited conditions. It takes ten cases a day, which is already overwhelming. How can it not take the people's appeals seriously and treat them perfunctorily in order to keep up with the schedule?
Do your job well and handle every case well. It is better to be deficient than to overdo it, and to bite off more than you can chew.
My office is just behind the door behind you, and I have a desk set up just like you.
The gate of the Yamen is open all day long, and anyone can see it at a glance. I am an upright official and not afraid of those evil spirits! "
As he talked, Zheng Shuqing entered the "drama expert" state again.
"Start getting your number plate!"
The green-robed official in front of the desk shouted at the victims of the case files who had been "blocking the door" for many days.
Zhang Guangsheng and the ten Jinwu Guardsmen's eyes suddenly lit up, like hungry wolves staring at their prey, scanning those people, not like they were doing a perfunctory routine at all.
The first person was a middle-aged man with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks. He looked around and stepped forward, picked up the "A" sign, and asked with some confusion: "Is it okay to just go in with the sign like this?"
"right."
The green-robed official nodded numbly and said with no expression on his face.
This middle-aged man walked into the gate of Jingzhao Mansion with a license plate A. As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he saw Zheng Shuqing already sitting in front of a table waiting for him. Behind Zheng Shuqing, a banner was built with wooden boards and hung about one foot high, with the words "Enforce the law impartially, and the mirror hangs high".
It’s very impressive at first glance!
"Who is in the hall? What can I tell you?"
Zheng Shuqing looked at the shabby-faced middle-aged man in front of him with wide eyes and shouted loudly.
"Last year, Wang Er, who lives next door, cut off the tongue of my farm cow with a knife and sued the officials to Chang'an County, but the magistrate of Chang'an County ignored him. He also sued the Yamen of Jingzhao Prefecture, but there was no response from Jingzhao Prefecture.
Now the common people want to ask how the case is going. "
When Gao Guan remembered Gou Tuo's sworn guarantee, he suddenly became bolder and his speech became much more coherent.
Zheng Shuqing used his index finger to search for the corresponding order on a large piece of paper spread on the table, and then said with a "suddenly enlightened" expression:
"This government does not accept cross-level appeals. You first go to the Chang'an County Yamen to complain. If they can't hear the case, let Chang'an County send people to send the files, including personal and material evidence, and then we will try the case."
"But didn't Jingzhao Mansion accept the application last year?"
The man in the hall asked unwillingly.
In fact, he doesn't care at all whether he can get justice for the cow killing case. He just wants to get money from the dog trustee every day!
"The case was accepted at the time, but the case had been closed at that time. Wang Er fled in fear of crime and is no longer within the scope of Jingzhao Prefecture. We are unable to arrest him and have informed you.
Now if you want to report Wang Er again, then our government can only return the file to Chang'an County, and let the Chang'an County magistrate complete the physical evidence before trying the case. "
Zheng Shuqing had a business-like face and couldn't find any flaws in the procedures.
The middle-aged man became anxious and said without hesitation: "But the cow has died a long time ago! Wang Er, who killed the cow, also went to Youzhou to join the army!"
The fact that he was called by a dog to come to the Jingzhao Mansion Yamen to cause trouble does not mean that he is a fool and does not understand the right and wrong.
Why is it difficult to try old cases? In fact, the problem is not the case itself, but the witnesses, physical evidence and the murderer at the time, which may be difficult to trace. Take this case as an example. It is not complicated. It is a man named Wang Er who secretly cut off the tongue of the slave's cattle and sold it to a wine shop for money.
As a result, the matter was discovered, so he fled in fear of crime, and then went to Youzhou to become a Long March athlete!
Since ancient times, there has been a habit of imprisoning criminals into the army, so as long as they escape into the border army, the government will generally not pursue their crimes.
Firstly, it affects the morale of the army, and secondly, it reduces the number of troops. There is no benefit in helping with this kind of thing. If you don't help Jingzhao Mansion, you can't do anything to Jiedu Envoy.
Therefore, the local Jiedu envoys were unwilling to cooperate with the Jingzhao Prefecture in handling the case.
Even if Jingzhao Mansion wants to arrest someone, it still has to go through countless procedures. Even if everything goes smoothly, it may take a year or two to arrest the person. According to normal circumstances, the governor of Jingzhao had been replaced at that time, and it was impossible to investigate this kind of case!
This is a typical theoretical power. Without smooth execution channels, it can only become a good-looking thing on paper.
"Yes, I understand your difficulties, but the imperial court has its own laws. Chang'an County will try it first, and this government will try it again. This is the law."
Zheng Shuqing stood up, pointed to the sign above his head that said "Enforce the law impartially, the mirror hangs high" and said: "I am enforcing the law impartially now. Come on, please take him out and let the next person in."
Two clerks in soap-colored clothes drove the man in the yard out of the gate of Jingzhao Mansion Yamen.
Zheng Shuqing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
This move is really insidious, using a bad move against a bad move. I don’t know how Fang Chongyong came up with it!
He remembered what Fang Chongyong told him yesterday.
"Working in the courtyard can be seen by everyone. In that case, the supervisory censor responsible for picketing will not be able to find trouble on the grounds of laziness."
"Putting up a sign at the door sets the rules. Anyone who disobeys will be dealt with by the Jinwu Guards."
"Only handling ten cases a day is to kill the energy of those who are suffering and let them disperse on their own, or wait in line until they get old."
"The Jinwu Guard law enforcement officers will receive half of the fine, and the Jingzhao Mansion Yamen will receive half of the fine. They will all be enthusiastic about doing the work.
Those in the yamen who are deliberately dragging their feet should be fired if they can. If it is inconvenient to resign, write a letter to the Prime Minister and let him do it. Only by providing rewards and punishments can you ensure that the morale of your staff is high. "
"Handling a case is not really about handling the case, but trying to delay as much time as possible, push it away if you can, and delay it as much as possible. Just let everyone see that you are working on it.
Someone will write you a case-handling strategy. Just follow the picture and correspond one by one. Use whatever tricks you encounter. "
Thinking back on these "scheming" instructions, Zheng Shuqing rubbed his wrists and couldn't help but sneer on his face.
Judging from today's situation, Fang Chongyong's crooked tricks are really useful! In the past, the people of Jinwu Guard didn't move for a long time, but now they are like tigers lurking, staring at the people outside the door.
After a while, another person came in, this time it was an adultery case. My wife committed adultery with a monk and ran away. When the victim found out, the monk had already traveled around the world. I don’t know whether my wife was dead or alive. Anyway, I couldn’t find him.
The demands are also very simple. The first one is to catch the adulterer monk, and the second one is to find his wife. She wants to see her alive and her body after death.
This kind of headless case is the most troublesome. This miserable master didn't even know the adulterer's name. He only had a Dharma name called "Fayun". The temple where he used to become a monk was demolished.
"This case has been decided that year, and both of them were exiled to Lingnan. But if they can't arrest anyone, there is nothing we can do. If you still want to file a lawsuit, go to Wannian County to find the Wannian County Magistrate, and then ask him to write a new letter Let Wannian County judge the case file.
If Wannian County has nothing to do, let them send the files to the Jingzhao Mansion Yamen, and I will judge again.
Okay, that's it. Someone, take him out of Jingzhao Mansion Yamen! "
Once familiar, Zheng Shuqing dismissed the second old case.
In this way, one case after another, they were either returned for retrial or issued with arrest documents. In less than an hour, Zheng Shuqing dismissed all ten cases.
As an official, if you really want to do some practical things, it is very difficult. For example, there is almost no way to handle these old cases. The Jingzhao Mansion Yamen does not have the resources. Even if they are handled, the administrative costs are too high and unsustainable.
And the victims cannot afford the cost of carrying out government affairs.
So, that’s all it can do.
However, it would be too easy if we just want to implement "procedural justice" and let the bureaucrats sit in their seats with peace of mind and calmly.
At this moment, a dog caretaker outside shouted: "Let's go into the Yamen. We don't have to wait for a number plate. This is what the dog officer Zheng Shuqing was looking for!"
The dark crowd rushed towards the gate of Jingzhao Mansion Yamen.
However, what they didn't expect was that the Jinwu guards who were "on duty" at the side had a ferocious smile on their faces, just like a tiger seeing a little sheep grazing!
They rushed into the crowd with sticks, and as if they were in an uninhabited land, they knocked down the "sufferers" who were preparing to attack the Jingzhao Mansion Yamen. Then they grabbed the dog bearer who had just incited the crowd, and several others rushed in. The "silly and bold" person at the front was dragged and dragged in front of Zhang Guangsheng.
“First I will be fined a hundred cents, and then I will be beaten with ten sticks, and then I can leave here.
If you don't want to get beaten, pay more attention.
For every hundred wen you pay, you will get one less stick. You choose it yourself! "
Zhang Guangsheng sneered and clenched his fists!
These people looked at the Jinwu guards who looked like wolves and tigers beside them, staring at them with evil expressions. After some painful struggles and entanglements, they all felt very painful, but they all surrendered honestly. money.
Those who did not bring any money left their addresses and promised to bring money to pay the fine tomorrow.
The crowd in front of the Jingzhao Mansion Yamen suddenly dispersed!
A conflict was rendered invisible.
"Zhang Sige, this money is really easy to make."
A Jinwu guard said excitedly while putting the fines into a box that had been prepared.
"Hehe, that's right, but the shift changes tomorrow and it won't be your turn. After all, we have to take care of the other brothers in Jinwu Guard.
Remember not to break the rules, half of it must be handed over to the Jingzhao Mansion Yamen, and the remaining half is yours. "
"You must not forget it. Half of it is not less."
Another Jinwu guard laughed. It’s so exciting to ride a horse today, it’s hard to put it into words, anyway, it’s great!
Originally, they were a little disdainful of the newly appointed Zuo Jinwu Wei Zhonglang General, but now it seems that that one is the real boss! I figured out all the ways of officialdom!
They are so miserable. What kind of life have they been living in the past? Why haven't they thought of such a way to "generate income"?
The little salary every month has to fade away, and even drinking is not enough, and the family often has to support it.
"Go in and tell Zheng Fuyin's branch that you should collect your team and go back to the Yamen."
Zhang Guangsheng confessed, picked up a box containing money and walked to the Yamen of Jingzhao Mansion.
Fang Chongyong once said that when cooperating with others to do things, it is a rule to share half of the work when meeting.
Due to this rule, if they collect fines near the Jingzhao Mansion's Yamen, it is a legal act that has received the protection and support of the Jingzhao Mansion. It was an official matter "entrusted" by Zheng Shuqing, the Yin of Jingzhao Prefecture, rather than a private matter where he asked for bribes in private.
Fang Chongyong's view is that no matter what you do, even if the other person is an acquaintance, you can't break the rules and just deal with it casually.
Zhang Guangsheng is very familiar with these habits. This is how they played in Hexi.
Because Fang Chongyong is the most disciplined and strict in what he says and does, what he says is the rule there and everyone believes it.
…
The sky had darkened. Fang Chongyong, who had led a team of people to patrol the area outside Chang'an Imperial City for a whole day, hung a white-painted wooden board on the wall in the signing room where he worked.
On it were written several neat and eye-catching large characters in charcoal:
"Why do you say Jinwuwei is a waste?"
Fang Chongyong crossed his arms and looked at these words thoughtfully.
Through today's observation, he discovered that today's Jinwu Guards are really a so-called "hot chicken forbidden army" that can't do anything, and its organization and task distribution are extremely embarrassing.
You might say they are Qiu Ba. Their equipment is good-looking, but the quality of their soldiers is also poor. They have not received any decent military training, and they have not carried out a decent military mission for a long time.
Compared with those Bai Zhan Qiu Ba in Hexi who licked blood from their swords and each of them had at least several lives on their hands, the soldiers of Jinwu Guard were all tender chicks.
You could say they are a paramilitary force similar to SWAT. Their equipment is also good-looking, but it is completely inconvenient to use to catch thieves. Not to mention solving crimes and the like. When the thief saw the brightly armored Jinwu guards approaching, he had already disappeared!
If anything, these are a group of beautiful walking dolls that look like humans and dogs, which can probably shock foreigners who have just arrived in Chang'an.
"This kind of trash has reached the point where it can't be done unless it changes."
Fang Chongyong murmured to himself with emotion.
He felt that he had always had the mentality of a bastard, and had never thought about becoming a general, becoming a prime minister, or even rebelling and becoming an emperor.
But compared to the five hundred Jinwu Guards he had just taken over, he was already considered the "King of Involution" among the struggle faction.
Just as he was deep in thought, Zhang Guangsheng walked into the custody room cautiously. Fang Zhongyong raised his hands and saluted, saying: "General Fang, the matter is done, very smoothly. It is expected that we will stay on guard for another three days and there will be no need to go to Jingzhao Mansion Yamen." Naturally, someone inside was jealous of the fine and took the initiative to take over."
"Really? It's so easy to fight."
Fang Chongyong asked with some confusion.
The people of Chang'an are too honest, right? Are the Sogdian Hu merchants in Shazhou more cunning and more difficult to deal with?
Fang Chongyong felt a little emotional for a moment, wondering if he had overestimated his opponent.
"That's true, but the left prime minister probably won't be so virtuous. Making a fuss about old cases is actually of no use."
Zhang Guangsheng also felt that things would not be that simple.
"Well, let's take a look first and then talk."
Fang Chongyong nodded slightly. He had already given Zheng Shuqing an idea. This time, he kicked the ball back to Zhang Shougui.
If the other party doesn't take any action, then Zheng Shuqing can survive the danger safely. When Brother Ji returns to Chang'an, Yao Mozi will disappear, and no one will do these boring tricks under Brother Ji's eyes.
But, is Zhang Shougui really that stupid?
Fang Chongyong drew a question mark in his heart.
(End of chapter)
