Chapter 37 Climbing the Pole

"The first day of December is the civil servant assessment, which will be presided over by the chief clerk in the official temple. Heifu, don't forget it!"

When Heifu and his companions came out, it was already evening. When they said goodbye in front of the county lieutenant's office, Chen Baijiang repeatedly reminded them not to miss the deadline!

He also solemnly reminded Heifu: "If you can really become the head of Huyang Pavilion, you must not forget who helped you!"

Heifu acted in a state of trepidation: "Heifu should keep it in mind. There is a saying in my hometown, that a drop of water should be repaid with a spring. Heifu dare not forget the great kindness of the right lieutenant! Of course, he will not forget Chen Baijiang's kind words..."

"A drop of water should be repaid with a spring... This sentence is good, I will tell the right lieutenant."

Unlike the county right lieutenant Du Xian who did things with ease, Chen Baijiang was just a man with a little cleverness but no great wisdom. He nodded with satisfaction: "That's good, Heifu Pavilion Chief, I look forward to the day when you and I become colleagues and work together!"

After that, he said goodbye to Heifu and left.

Heifu bowed to Chen Baijiang, and only raised his head until his figure disappeared at the corner of the street. His smile had already been restrained, and his eyes were deep and thoughtful.

He was full of gratitude, but his heart was still as clear as a mirror.

Many years ago, Xunzi once described his experience in Qin State, saying that "entering the country, watching its scholars and officials, leaving their gates, entering the public office; leaving the public office, returning to their homes, without private affairs; not cliques, not cliques..."

This is true, Qin State did have many good officials like Xi, who did not cliques or cliques. However, old Xunzi still looked at Qin State too one-sidedly.

Although Shang Yang's reforms had tried to put an end to the favoritism and corruption that were rampant in the six countries. But Qin was so big, with so many counties, and although the laws were strict and detailed, as long as people were alive, they could not wipe out the intricate connections of human relationships, how could they be free from all things? Otherwise, Fan Sui, the prime minister during the reign of King Zhao of Qin, would not have been able to put his lifesavers Zheng Anping and Wang Jiquan in important positions, but in the end he was held accountable for his betrayal to the enemy and lost his life.

That was a big case. On a smaller scale, the open and secret struggles between the two lieutenants in Anlu County are also a typical silhouette.

Although the right lieutenant Du Xian is the chief officer, he is an outsider and has a weak foundation in the local area. In order not to be sidelined by the left lieutenant Yun Man, he can only promote some confidants as wings. Or Chen Baijiang, an official from the Nanjun Academy; or Hei Fu, a local who is of humble origin but has some skills, because such people are more likely to be grateful.

After all the events in the past month, Hei Fu has completely become enemies with the left lieutenant. In order to avoid retaliation at any time, he can only join the right lieutenant involuntarily. This is also thanks to his proof that he is a useful person in the two events of catching thieves and the ten-day military exercise. Otherwise, how can the right lieutenant look down on him?

On the way out of Guansi, Heifu thought about this and sighed again: "Although I know that the county right lieutenant is not aimless, I am still grateful to him for giving me such an opportunity!"

Although the pavilion chief is small, he is just a petty official at the "fighting food" level. In the words of later generations, he is not even as good as the ninth-rank sesame official. But then again, which police academy student who just graduated from school in the future can have such an opportunity? Can he become the director of a grassroots police station? Heifu couldn't wait to show himself during the military exercise in the ten-day military exercise, just for such an opportunity.

Qin had the most fair class mobility in the world during the Warring States Period, so Heifu believed that if he was a cone, he would always stand out.

Although he was finally held in someone's hand and could be used as a weapon to stab his opponent at any time, if there really came such a day, the first thing that would break would definitely be the weapon...

But now, Heifu can only climb along the pole, and wherever he climbs is where he is. This is his first step into the bamboo pole called "official career". On this pole, you have to be mentally prepared. When you look up, you will see buttocks, and when you look down, you will see smiling faces.

But the matter is not over yet. The appointment and dismissal of a pavilion chief is not the one-man rule of the county lieutenant. Du Xian can propose candidates to the county magistrate, but the power of personnel appointment and dismissal does not lie with him, but with the county magistrate and his subordinate "Zhuliyuan".

Zhuliyuan is a 200-stone official, at the same level as Yuyuanxi, responsible for personnel appointment and dismissal, and the promotion and demotion of officials, which is equivalent to the head of the organization department of the county party committee in later generations.

If Heifu remembers correctly, in a few years, in Pei County, thousands of miles away, Xiao He, the first prime minister of the Han Dynasty, will also be this official, and thus get to know Liu, the director of Sishui Pavilion...

"If that's the case, wouldn't I have become a pavilion chief several years earlier than Liu Bang?" Heifu thought of this and couldn't help laughing.

But don't be too happy too soon. Before that, he still has to go through a test, which is the Qin Dynasty's civil service examination - official assessment.

At this time, Qin officials were divided into two types: civil officials and military officials. The head of a pavilion was responsible for catching thieves and maintaining public order. He was a military official and had requirements for personal martial arts. That was why the county lieutenant asked him if he knew the "five weapons". To be a pavilion chief, he had to be proficient in at least one. Hei Fu was not worried about this. He was still confident in his ability. He couldn't let the police school down, right?

In addition to martial arts, there were also laws and regulations to be examined.

Qin advocated ruling the country by law, and "everything was decided by law". One of the criteria for distinguishing good officials from bad officials in the official document "Yu Shu" issued by the prefect of Nanjun last year was that "good officials know the laws and regulations and can do everything", while "bad officials do not know the laws and regulations and do not know things".

As a pavilion chief, in addition to catching thieves, he also had to hold a two-foot wooden tablet and popularize the law to the people along the way, so he must know the law.

In order to prove that he was a good official who could be qualified for the position of pavilion chief in front of the "chief clerk", Hei Fu had to go through a "legal question and answer" before he could pass.

Now Heifu was at a loss. Although he had learned a lot of laws these days, he was still ignorant of the law in general.

Fortunately, the "chief clerk" did not let him take the exam immediately, but put the test time on December 1st. Because according to the Qin Dynasty's practice, from the first day of December to March, it was the time for officials in various places to be appointed and dismissed.

"Now it's the last day of October, which means there is only one month left?"

Heifu couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. It was not difficult for him to memorize "The Law of Theft" and "The Law of Arrest" and other laws within a month, because there were not many words. The difficulty lies in the fact that he must use them skillfully according to different cases. The concept of punishment in Qin is very different from that in later generations.

Who should he ask for advice?

Heifu first thought of Xi, but Doctor Xi was an important official in the county, and he only met Heifu once. How could he have time to teach him the law?

After thinking about it, he had an idea.

The reason why this "Heifu" can read is that when he was a child, when his family was well off, he and his elder brother Zhong had learned simple reading and writing from two old men, Lu Ying in Xiyangli and Yan Zheng in the neighboring Bianli.

These two old men were once county and township grammar officials, and they were also proficient in laws and decrees. When the village sergeants encountered something they didn't understand about the law, they would come to ask. Heifu's family had some friendship with them, so he would visit them when he returned.

Thinking of this, Heifu quickened his pace, just wanting to go back and pack his bags and go home quickly, not only to see his family earlier, but also for his future prospects...

When Heifu returned to the house in the parade ground, it was almost evening. The parade ground, which was once crowded with night watchmen, became empty and quiet. From a distance, the row of thatched houses was dark, and even the stoves were all extinguished.

He said with regret: "I had agreed to go with Ji Ying and the others, but I was called by the right lieutenant. At this hour, they must have left first..."

Like Hei Fu, after leaving home for a month, who among the night watchmen didn't want to go back to see their parents, wives and children as soon as possible? After a month of living together, the Guishi finally parted ways.

Hei Fu was not reluctant to give up the temporary position of the squad leader, but he regretted the friendship and friendship of his comrades. This was the second time he felt that he was not alone after coming to this era, in addition to the warmth of his family. Perhaps influenced by his previous life studying in the police academy, Hei Fu was also a collectivist in his bones.

Many villages in this era still live in a life of hearing each other's chickens and dogs but not interacting with each other. The Qin State has also enacted laws to restrict people from wandering around without their registered residence, calling it "loitering crime". I don't know if I will have the chance to meet Ji Ying, Dongmen Bao and others again in the future...

This house will welcome a new batch of guards tomorrow, and maybe they will also be named Guishi, but the "Guishi" belonging to Heifu is only the one in October of the 21st year of Qin Wangzheng!

Thinking of this, the joy of having the opportunity to be a pavilion chief was also diluted a lot.

Heifu pushed open the broken door of the thatched cottage with some boredom, but unexpectedly, a figure jumped out of the dark hole inside!

He screamed strangely, bared his teeth and claws, and pounced on Heifu!

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