August 20th is a good day to travel.
Muchun pulled Gu Zhengchen's lapel and called "Sir" with reluctance.
Mu Ying stepped forward, stroked Mu Chun's head, and comforted softly: "Sir, you are here to serve the imperial court. With his talent, he will return to Jinling in a few years. When the time comes, you will worship him as your teacher and work hard." Study knowledge.
Gu Zhengchen bent down, held Muchun's hand, and said calmly: "Before I leave, sir, I will leave you a message. Please keep it in mind."
"Sir, please tell me, I will keep it in mind."
Muchun's little face was full of seriousness.
Gu Zhengchen nodded slightly: "If you want to grow into a powerful person, you should brutalize your body and civilize your spirit. If you can kill enemies with martial arts and make meritorious deeds, if you can with literature you can rule the world. In this way, you can become a great weapon."
Mu Ying looked at Mu Chun who nodded and took notes, and praised: "Barbaric physique, civilized spirit? It sounds fresh. To be honest, I really want to transfer you to the military camp..."
Gu Zhengchen shook his head.
Go to the military camp, what a joke.
Among the four major Hongwu cases, there was still a certain survival rate among civil servants, and many people could survive until the time of Zhu Xiaowen and Zhu Laosi to earn a living.
Forget about military attachés, except for a few relatives, one who is good at defense, a few vassal kings who vouch for it, and a group of people with low abilities, the rest basically followed Lan Yu in queuing up to receive Meng Po soup.
Zhou Zong, the swordsman of the East Palace, came. He was a dull and talkative man. He was originally guarding Lao Zhu. Later, he recommended himself and was sent to the East Palace to teach Zhu Dalang martial arts and take charge of the security of the East Palace.
It can be said that Zhou Zong was Zhu Biao's personal bodyguard and "physical education" teacher. Zhu Biao sent him to see him off in order to tell everyone that Gu Zhengchen was a member of Donggong Bao, so don't bully him.
Gu Zhengchen was very grateful for Zhu Biao's protection, waved goodbye to Mu Ying, Mu Chun and others, got into the carriage, and set off on the road to Jurong with Gu Cheng and Sun Shiba.
Jurong is located in the southeast of Jinling City, one hundred and ten miles along the official road.
If you're not in a hurry, you can get there in two days.
Zhou Zong sent him ten miles outside the city before returning to resume his duties.
Gu Zhengchen sat in the carriage and read the "Instructions for Arrival".
This is a manual for becoming an official, which combines thirty-one chapters and corresponds to thirty-one pages.
Gu Zhengchen flipped through a few pages and sighed. Later TV series killed people. When a new official took office, he entered the underworld for a private visit, then arrested a group of evil people and revealed his identity:
I am the county magistrate, so you should all tell me the truth.
In Daming, this is pure nonsense.
It is illegal for a new official to enter the city directly after taking office. He also wants to pay a private visit incognito, wander around a few times and then go to court for trial. If he really does this, he will probably need to separate his head and neck for a few years. He will not be able to survive. As for whether he can be detained. Stitching depends on luck...
According to the regulations of the Ming Dynasty court:
A new official was appointed and went to take office. He did not reach a house in the city, but only twenty or thirty miles away.
It is necessary to stop twenty or thirty miles outside the city, not to rest, but to stay for three days, that is, to fast for three days.
In the second year of Hongwu, Zhu Sheng, the powerful counselor who proposed for Lao Zhu to "build walls high, accumulate grain widely, and slowly become king", gave a detailed explanation of fasting:
Those who are prohibited from doing so are prohibited from doing so;
Those who are fasting should keep their insides in order.
The specific requirements are: no drinking, no eating meat, no asking about illness, no condolences, no listening to music, no paying attention to punishment...
The purpose of fasting for three days is to offer sacrifices and show piety to the gods.
In fact, in the instructions for becoming an official in the Ming Dynasty's "Instructions for Appointment", the first thing listed is not land, money and food, nor is it the recruitment of prisoners and officials, but sacrifices!
In other words, offering sacrifices is the first and most important step in becoming an official. Those who dare to go directly to the yamen to do business and are shocked are either seeking death or insane.
Later generations did not understand much about sacrifice, thinking that it was just a process, a ritual, vain and dispensable.
But for ancient dynasties, sacrifices were extremely important.
"Zuo Zhuan" says: The great affairs of the country lie in sacrifice and military affairs.
"Book of Rites: Sacrifice" says: "When it comes to governing people, don't be too hasty with rituals. There are five classics on rituals, so don't focus on sacrifices."
It can be seen that sacrifice is as important a national event as war and an important part of etiquette.
Zhu Yuanzhang attached great importance to etiquette, and naturally he also valued sacrifices. He once said to the officials: "If the military affairs are not repaired and the sacrifices are not prepared, what is the country?"
That is to say, if it neither fights good wars nor performs good sacrifices, is it still a country?
Even if the sacrifices are not good, the country is no longer a country. This level is far beyond the imagination of future generations.
As for the purpose of sacrifice, Lao Zhuzhi said:
Yin and yang inside and outside to calm the people.
Since the officials are respected, the people will fear and obey them.
That is to say, if officials respect the gods, then the people will naturally respect them too.
Gu Zhengchen knew that these sacrifices were essentially ancient "ideological education" and had the same purpose as many later textbooks, which were different in content:
Be a obedient citizen.
Jurong, county government.
Clerk Lin Shan took the document, handed it to the county magistrate Liu Boqin, and reported: "The Ministry of Officials has issued a document that the new county magistrate is on his way."
Liu Boqin touched his mustache, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked at Zhao Doubei, the bookkeeper who was drinking tea, with a sly smile: "Xinzhi County is coming soon, and we need to receive him well."
Zhao Doubei spit out the tea leaves in his mouth, his stern cheeks moved slightly, he raised his hand and scratched the hair on the mole on his right eye, and said lightly: "It will come sooner or later. I heard that this county magistrate is just a A young man with a weak crown is still an official, I wonder how the county magistrate is feeling at this time?"
Liu Boqin looked coldly and said, "What do you mean?"
Zhao Doubei stood up and stretched: "What else can I do? Of course it is to fight against the injustice of Liu County Cheng. You are a Jinshi in the fourth year of Hongwu. Gu Zhengchen, haha... Different people have different fates. Some people accept their fate, There are people who refuse to accept their fate. I wonder what kind of person Liu County Cheng is?"
Liu Boqin clenched his fist.
Not willing to give in.
He was born as a Jinshi in the third year of Hongwu's reign, and was appointed as the Jurong County Magistrate. He was just a small county magistrate!
After two years of hard work, the former magistrate was not driven away. Fortunately, God opened his eyes and the father of the former magistrate was driven away.
When the father dies, officials must return home and observe mourning for three years.
The position of county magistrate is now vacant. Logically speaking, the person to take over as Jurong magistrate should be himself, the county magistrate!
But what's the result?
With a stroke of his pen, the official department obtained a candidate!
Haha, I am a high-ranking Jinshi, and I am stepped on by a scholar?
Liu Boqin was not convinced.
But the court's orders cannot be disobeyed.
Liu Boqin took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Instruct the ceremonial room to make preparations for the sacrifice, sweep the altar, prepare the sacrifices, and prepare sacrifices. Check the sacrificial utensils. If there is any damage, repair it immediately; order the ceremonial guard to soap Officials are on hand at all times, and there must be no shortage during the ceremony and reception; arrange for the elders to be responsible for guiding the officials; inform the county students and students of the date of reception; prepare the ceremony and blessings, arrange for people to inform the county of the date and location of the ceremony, and leave Two people are waiting there..."
Seeing that Liu Boqin had made arrangements, Zhao Doubei said nothing and turned around to make arrangements.
To the west of Jurong, there is Shili Posthouse.
Gu Zhengchen had just fasted for two hours when Liu Xian, an official in Jurong's ceremonial room, arrived.
After inspecting the official documents, Liu Xian saluted.
Gu Zhengchen just raised his hand and said, "Don't be careless in preparing for the sacrifice. You need to check it again and again to make sure there are no mistakes."
Liu Xian looked at the young Gu Zhengchen, a little surprised.
Is there no one available in this court?
People who have no hair on their lips are starting to come here. Isn’t this disorder?
"Don't worry, Lord County, everything will be properly arranged."
Liu Xian agreed and retreated outside the door, looking down on him in his heart.
Gu Zhengchen didn't care and continued to read the "Instructions for Arrival". He had to admire Lao Zhu's wisdom. With this set of instructions in hand, people without any experience in being an official would not be confused and don't know where to start.
The first item of sacrifice is relief, and the second item is relief.
In the first year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict: "For those who are widowed, lonely, disabled and unable to support themselves, the official will give them a pity."
In the fifth year of Hongwu's reign, another edict was issued, "Edicting to establish orphanages in all counties and counties across the country." Soon, the orphanage was renamed the Nursing Home.
People who are lonely, disabled, sick and unable to survive are allowed to be admitted to the hospital.
This is the welfare of the Ming Dynasty, which aims to embody benevolent governance and love for the people.
According to the requirements, the magistrate needs to personally check the grain and rice every month, and is responsible for finding people who are in difficulty and unable to survive, and send them to almshouses. If there are people wandering around begging for food, it is the magistrate's dereliction of duty...
Therefore, in the Hongwu Dynasty, especially five years after Hongwu, beggars appeared, either because the county magistrate did not act, or they were fake. It was probably the current inspection school, and the later Jin Yiwei pretended to be...
After the relief, there is prisoner recording. To put it more clearly, it is to sort out the county jail. Those who have been sentenced, are they wrongly sentenced? Those who are not sentenced, should they be sentenced, should be released, should be beaten, and those should be killed. , handle or report according to law.
There is a bunch of content at the back, such as land, money and grain, court policies, inspectors, governors, affairs, treasury, livestock, aquatic products, industrial and commercial taxation...
The content is complex.
There is no other way. The county magistrate is in charge of the administration of a county and controls almost all the powers within his jurisdiction such as administration, finance, justice, education, public security, water conservancy, transportation, military (inspection department, officials, etc.).
Where does Gu Zhengchen have any fast? It took him three days just to read and figure out the "Instructions for Arrival", which made Gu Zhengchen a little doubtful. Did the so-called three-day fast actually set aside time for officials to read the instructions? of……
The first place of worship is the Sheji Altar, one mile west of Jurong City.
Sheji altar, She is the god of earth and Ji is the god of grain.
The God of Earth and God of Grain are the most important primitive worship objects in the agricultural-based Chinese nation.
Sheji is the god of soil and grain. The soil supports all things and the grain nourishes the people. It is the foundation of the country and the foundation of government.
The reason why the Sheji Altar is the first is because it was followed by the Fengyun Leiyu Altar, Shanchuan Altar, City God Temple, Confucius Temple...
If you are an official in love, you have to pay homage to the dock everywhere.
Before dawn, Gu Zhengchen started rushing from the post house to Jurong. In the early morning, he arrived one mile outside Jurong city.
A group of people vaguely appeared in the gray sky.
Jurong Zuo Erguan, the chief officer, the officials of each house, the Zao officials, the members of the family, the elders of Jurong and the common people lined up outside.
Gu Zhengchen stepped out of the carriage and straightened his clothes.
The sky is about to break.
County Magistrate Liu Boqin stepped forward and led everyone in a salute: "All the county government officials, all the county schools and the common people sincerely welcome Gu Zhixian to take up his post in Jurong."
